


Sexy Gods and Shitty Invasion Plans

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Shadowhunters in the MCU [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU, BAMF!Tony, Bigotry & Prejudice, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Downworlders, Loki is a flirt, Parabatai, Shadowhunters - Freeform, Tony Stark & Saffron friendship, avengers movie - Freeform, smart tony, so is Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-06-09 14:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19477996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: SHIELD wasn't very good at taking no for an answer. Despite the fact that Tony let them know they couldn't afford him, they still sent Phil to him for a consultation. Once Tony caught sight of what they had, well, there was no way he could walk away. Not when the fate of the world was at stake. Besides, something tells him there's a bit more going on here than there appears...





	1. Chapter 1

It felt good to be back home.

No matter how many different places Tony had lived in his life, the city of New York and its surrounding boroughs were always going to spell home to him. They’d been his home in multiple different ways. Even now, New York held the people who were the most important to him, and those people were more home than any building could ever be.

Though Tony had to admit he was rather proud of his actual building.

Stark Tower was a wonder. Big enough to fit his ego, as Pepper liked to joke, and clearly marked with ‘Stark’ for everyone to see just to really set himself up for a whole plethora of _ego_ jokes. Tony was secure enough in himself to admit it did his ego a ton of good to see his name up in lights like that. Who _wouldn’t_ enjoy it? Especially considering just how amazing and innovative Stark Tower was. It wasn’t just a new building for SI or just Tony’s home. It was one of the most technologically advanced buildings in New York. Potentially anywhere.

It was also full of a rather impressive set of wards that Tony had made damn sure to work on every step of the way so that it wasn’t just _around_ the building but integrated _into_ it. With Magnus’ help, they made layered wards, protecting the bottom layers while making sure that the top was the most secure – and Tony’s workshop the most secure of all. Once that was done, Tony did the same thing he’d done in his Malibu home, and he hooked JARVIS up to all of it. A feat which still amazed Magnus despite him having seen it before.

“The way you marry magic and technology is astounding,” Magnus told him after Tony had finished the last of his wards.

All in all, Stark Tower was pretty damn awesome in Tony’s opinion, and today it was going to become even more so. They were taking Stark Tower off the regular power grid and hooking it up to its own arc reactor. It was going to be the first completely clean energy powered skyscraper in Manhattan.

For something so monumental, it was simple enough to take his suit underwater to where he needed to be and hook the arc reactor up. Once it was in place, he took a moment to just grin at it. Then he twisted his suit and shot up out of the water.

“We’re good on this end,” he said as he flew up into the air. “The rest is up to you.”

On the other end of the line was the other half of this project. Pepper had helped Tony with Stark Tower from the very get-go. She’d been there pretty much every step of the way despite her new schedule that generally kept her pretty damn busy. “ _You disconnected the transition lines_?” Pepper asked. “ _Are we off the grid_?”

Tony couldn’t quite stop his snort. “You’re doubting me, Ms. Potts? Stark Tower is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy.”

They continued to banter back and forth as Tony flew back toward the tower. He had to admit, it felt pretty damn amazing when Pepper turned it all on from her end, and the giant STARK on the side of the tower lit up. “It’s like Christmas, but with more... me.”

“ _Your ego knows no bounds_ ,” Pepper said dryly.

Another voice joined in, though the person wasn’t on screen. “ _I’ve established a few different interviews and a press conference to help us widen the public awareness campaign_ ,” Maryse said. She moved over just enough to join Pepper on the screen.

The sight of her made Tony’s smile grow. He let out a groan, though, just because he knew it’d make her roll her eyes at him the same as her son was known to do. “Aw, come on, Maryse. Can’t you let me bask in the moment before you go throwing press bullshit at me?”

“ _No_ ,” Maryse answered easily. Her voice was dry; the teasing, mocking tone that she only let out in private when she was comfortable.

Hiring Maryse had proved to be one of the smartest decisions that Tony had ever made. The woman took to being his PA like a duck to water. She and Pepper had bonded, at least enough to have a tight professional relationship with small hints of potential friendship outside of it. Maryse let herself be slightly less formal when with Tony and Pepper, though she only really let her guard down when it was just her and Tony. But she’d studied under Pepper for two weeks before taking over all the PA duties, so the two had a small friendship bond.

Maryse’s style wasn’t like Pepper’s. She didn’t tease the way that Pepper had or rip her hair out when Tony did something particularly crazy. There wasn’t any playful flirting, either. Instead, they found their own dynamic with each other, and Tony could honestly say he loved it. He’d come to Maryse because she’d best fit his requirements for the job and because Alec had been worried about her not finding a place in her new mundane life. Now? Tony was more than glad that he’d hired her. She ran a tight ship, knew how to handle the press and politics, worked with him with his SI duties, and could manage most of it without any real direction.

Whereas Pepper and Tony had butted heads – they were friends, but with her working for him, Pepper had taken on a more motherly role sometimes that had felt patronizing and infantilizing – Maryse and Tony had their random issues, and he liked to think she was his friend, but they also had a line of clear employer and employee when the time called for it. Maryse didn’t treat him like he didn’t know how to do anything, or like he was a child in need of constant minding. She just did what needed to be done and found her own ways to get Tony to do what he needed to as well. She also listened when he was firm about something instead of trying to talk him around. A trait that very few people in his working life were capable of.

Tony was grinning when he landed on the assembly pad of the penthouse. Mechanical arms came up as Tony walked forward, taking the suit off in pieces as he went.

“Sir, Agent Coulson of SHIELD is on the line,” JARVIS warned him.

Oh, gross. Tony wrinkled his nose. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with SHIELD tonight of all nights. “I’m not in. I’m actually out.”

“Sir, I’m afraid he’s insisting.”

“Close the line, Jarvis.” The last of the suit was taken away, leaving Tony in shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt. He grabbed a bottle of wine as he came in, and then snagged a few glasses as well. “I’ve got company, and it’s time for us to celebrate.”

His ‘company’ was waiting for him when he walked in. Pepper was seated on the couch, legs curled up and bare feet on the couch. Since she’d become President instead of a PA, they’d become closer. It’d taken a little while for her to get out of the habit of trying to watch over Tony and manage him. Having Maryse be so damn good at her job had helped. Now, they were finally where Tony felt like they were meant to be. Close friends who knew the truth about one another and who were comfortable with each other.

“Levels are holding steady, I think,” Pepper said.

Maryse, who was perched on the arm of a chair, long legs discreetly crossed and a Starkpad sitting on the lap of her very tasteful dress suit, nodded her agreement. “Everything looks within their proper ranges.”

“Of course they are,” Tony said, dropping himself down onto the couch near Pepper’s feet. “I was directly involved.”

That got him an eye roll from both of them, which, hey, bonus points for him.

Abruptly, Tony remembered something, and he narrowed his eyes at Maryse, pausing in the act of opening and pouring the wine. “Weren’t you supposed to over at the loft for dinner tonight?”

“We rescheduled for Friday,” Maryse said easily. When Tony just continued to stare, her expression softened a little. “A rather nasty demon attack called both the boys away. Our schedules didn’t match up again until Friday.”

“You know you can take off early any night you want to go see them. I don’t mind.”

A tug at the wards around the building cut Tony off. He went still, eyes closing as he drew his focus inward, reaching out to try and test what it was they’d found. When he saw what it was, he let out a heavy sigh and a low “ _Dammit._ ” It looked like his celebratory evening was going to be ruined. Phil was still out there trying to actually _break in_ to Tony’s tower. Though it was tempting to keep him from coming in, this was another of those instances where it was just safer to let SHIELD think they had a step up on him and his tech.

Tony gave the wards a subtle twist to allow Phil to get in the elevator downstairs.

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice interrupted Tony’s thoughts and drew him out. He found her watching him, and Maryse as well, both of them on alert.

Tony deliberately finished pouring the wine. He set the bottle down on the table and floated a glass to each woman, keeping one for himself. “We’re about to have company.” He sat back in his seat and timed it all perfectly, getting into a slouched, insolent pose just as the elevator doors opened to show Phil standing there in another of his ridiculous cheap suits, a black folder held in his hands in front of him. Tony raised an eyebrow at him. “JARVIS, security breach!”

“Mr. Stark,” Phil said, faux-polite. Or maybe genuinely polite. Tony could never tell with him. While neither one of them were too fond of one another, he wasn’t as bad as some of the other agents that Tony had met, and he wasn’t even close to being as bad as Fury. If Tony had to deal with someone, he’d prefer it to be someone he could actually tolerate.

In different times, under different circumstances, any one of them might’ve welcomed Phil into the penthouse. But Pepper was even less forgiving than Tony when it came to someone who caused harm to those she cared about, and she’d yet to completely forgive SHIELD for what had happened when Tony had been sick. Instead of getting up as she might for anyone else, Pepper deliberately stayed where she was, her expression cool when she turned it toward him. “Can we help you, Phil?”

Her tone was enough to have Phil offering her an apologetic look. Which – rude. He definitely hadn’t directed one of those at _Tony_. “My apologies, Pepper. I know this is rather sudden, but I assure you, it’s urgent.” That said, he moved closer, holding out the folder in his hand toward Tony. “We need you to look this over as soon as possible.”

In one graceful move, Maryse pushed up from her seat, wine glass set down and Starkpad tucked under one arm, and she intercepted Phil and his folder. “Is there a reason you’ve chosen to show up at Mr. Stark’s home instead of scheduling a consolation?” She didn’t even look at the folder or its contents, simply turning and setting it on the cushion beside Tony. Then she was turning back around to look at Phil, and Tony didn’t have to see her face to know the cold look she’d be giving Phil. Unlike Pepper, there was a very clear hatred in Maryse for quite a bit of SHIELD. Mostly because she knew more about its inner workings than Pepper did. “I haven’t received any calls from SHIELD recently.”

“This isn’t technically a consultation,” Phil said.

That was enough to trigger a few warning bells in Tony’s head. He pulled up the folder – which wasn’t actually a folder, but a simple laptop packed with data, likely meant as a way to give Tony information without giving him access to their servers. _Idiots_. As if he couldn’t already go looking around if he wanted to.

At the same time that he heard Pepper asking, “Is this about the Avengers? Which I… I know nothing about, of course.”

“The Avengers Initiative was scrapped,” Tony told her absently, pushing from the couch to head toward the side of the room. “And I didn't even qualify.”

“I didn't know that either,” Pepper said.

Snorting, Tony made his way over to the desk on the side of the room. One of his hubs in here for anything electronic. “Yeah. Apparently, I'm volatile, self- obsessed, don't play well with others.”

“ _That_ I _did_ know.”

Tony didn’t pay any attention to Pepper’s teasing, or even Phil’s comment of: “This isn’t about personality profiles anymore.” All of his focus was on the information on the screen in front of him. He heard the click of Maryse’s heels, and then the soft pad of Pepper’s bare feet, bringing them both over to him. Pepper shamelessly came right up to Tony’s shoulder and looked over it, eyes scanning the screen. “What is all this, Tony?”

“Well…” Tony put his hands on the screen and then flung them up and out. It brought all the data off the screen and up into the air around him. Multiple images floated around them in a semi-circle. In each one was a different person, a different _file_ , so to speak. Tony recognized Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, and someone new and kind of gorgeous stealing the Lilith-damned _tesseract_. He ran his eyes over it all and sighed. “Well, there goes my night.”

“I’ll get Phil out of here and let you get to work on your homework,” Pepper said. She clasped Tony’s shoulder, leaning in to kiss his cheek, and then she was moving away, leaving just Maryse and Tony standing there. Bless her heart for being the amazing woman she was. Tony didn’t deserve her in his life. Still, he wasn’t ever going to give her up. A life without Pepper in it just wasn’t worth contemplating.

Neither Tony nor Maryse spoke until after Phil and Pepper were gone. Once they were, Tony had grabbed the hologram about the new player – Loki, it seemed, adopted brother to Thor. The guy looked gorgeous, and he sounded bat-shit insane, which, well, Tony wouldn’t go so far as to say he had a * _type*_. But * _if he did*_ , this guy was definitely checking a lot of those boxes.

“They’re pulling together this Avengers team you spoke of,” Maryse said into the quiet.

When he only hummed at her, still looking through the information, she let out a huff that had Tony turning just enough to look at her, one eyebrow arched up. That was an ‘I have something to say, and neither one of us is going to like it’ sound. He was getting pretty good at interpreting a lot of her nonverbal communication. They weren’t at the level he and Pepper were at, naturally, but they were getting there. Even before Tony looked up, he knew that Maryse wasn’t happy. Looking only confirmed that. Her expression had cooled into something hard and cold; protection against the outside world, a mask to hide whatever she was feeling underneath. Just the sight of it was enough to have Tony turning his focus more fully toward her. “What is it?”

Maryse looked at the images still floating around them. Her eyes took in detail quicker than most. It was yet another of those moments where Tony saw her children in her. He saw Alec in the quickness of her mind – gathering details, facts, assessing what they meant, and pulling them all together to form some plan of attack. He saw Isabelle in the sharpness of that gaze. In the way her spine straightened like she was bracing herself to do what needed to be done.

Watching her, Tony waited, knowing she’d speak when she was ready. He’d come to enjoy her counsel a lot more than he’d expected. She often had some really good insight.

“I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t help,” Maryse said abruptly. Hands folded in front of her, she turned back toward Tony. A soldier preparing to make a report. “I am, however, going to advise you to be careful. Not just from whatever threat this Loki or the tesseract present. From SHIELD.”

“I’m always careful when it comes to SHIELD,” Tony said dryly.

“You are. But you’ve never been in a situation like this with them. Going against a threat that has the potential to impact the world… it’s dangerous in ways beyond the physical, Tony. They won’t hesitate to use this situation to manipulate you toward their own purposes. It’s like that mundane saying – if you give them an inch, they’re going to take miles. I don’t want to see you under their thumb.”

The honest concern there had Tony smiling a little. “I’ll be okay. Besides, it’s not like I’m going in there alone. I’ve got you here, and J right there with me to watch my back. Isn’t that right, J?”

“Always, Sir,” JARVIS answered immediately.

It didn’t seem to relax Maryse quite the way that Tony had hoped it would, but it at least soothed some of her sharper edges. She nodded, taking him at his word. Trusting him. Tony wasn’t quite sure she understood just how big of a deal that was to him. How different that made her from so many others. The trust and respect she gave him were amazing, and it earned her a level of trust and respect in return that Tony didn’t give to many.

Tony reached out and lightly touched her arm with just the tips of his fingers. “We’ll be careful, Maryse. I promise, if anything goes wrong, JARVIS has permission to contact you. In fact, you’re my first emergency contact for things like this.”

That worked to ease her better than anything else. She smiled at him, nodding her head just slightly. Then she took a step back. “I’ll leave you to your work, then.”

Tony gave her one last smile and then brought his focus back to the information floating in front of him. He drew the image of Loki forward once more, along with a picture of the tesseract, and narrowed down his focus on the two. He was gone in his research before Maryse even made it to the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

When all this was said and done Tony was pretty sure there was going to be a line of people waiting to kill him. Maryse might be at the front of the line, though if she got worried enough to tell Magnus or Alec what was going on, or Pepper, she might have to fight to go first. Yet, as Tony sat in the back of a SHIELD jet and watched a group of agents unload Loki, with the darling Ms. Rushmanov leading the way, he couldn’t really regret the choices that had brought him here.

Reading the information that SHIELD had given him last night had led Tony to quite the night. He’d put on the suit as soon as JARVIS told him that Loki had been spotted, and he’d gotten there just in time to help them bring the guy in. Then, after a short jet ride, Big Brother had showed up, and on what world was Tony going to pass up kicking the ass of some muscled jock who thought he was cool cause he had a flashy hammer? And Tony _had_ kicked his ass. He would’ve finished it, too, if Captain Spandex hadn’t thrown himself down in the middle of them.

Now they were all here on Nick Fury’s flying fortress, and Tony was torn between wanting to go inside and find out more of what was going on, or portaling the hell out of here.

SHIELD undoubtedly had a warlock or two present. At the very least they’d have magical protections of some sort. There was no telling what might happen if he got out of the jet and went in after them. He wouldn’t put it past them to try and lock him in here somehow. Keep him there for some reason or another.

But… Tony never had been able to resist a puzzle.

 _Oh yeah, they’re definitely gonna kill me,_ he told himself as he finally got up and went inside the Helicarrier. As he took his suit off and stored it in a small room he was offered – not without adding a few wards over it, he wasn’t stupid, thank you very much – he amused himself by trying to figure out who was going to get to him first, and what their reactions would be. Normally he’d bet on Magnus, or maybe even Raphael. But Maryse wasn’t the type to go tattling to Tony’s family until absolutely necessary, or after the fact. Even then she’d only do it if it wasn’t anything classified. SHIELD stuff? Definitely classified.

That meant he was just going to have Maryse to deal with first. Not that that was exactly _better_. She could be _mean_ when she wanted to. Plus, she sort of ran his whole life, and she could easily make him miserable in retaliation.

When Tony finished warding his suit so that no one would be able to touch it, he stepped out of the room to find that Phil was the agent waiting for him. No real surprise. They really wanted to make sure Tony wasn’t going to get into shit.

Tony pasted on a wide, bright grin when he saw the man. “Agent! So you get to be my lovely escort here, huh? Not that I need it. I promise, I know my way to the bridge.”

“I’m sure you do,” Phil said in a voice that was just dry enough to make Tony want to chuckle at him. “However, it’s my job to escort you down there, Mr. Stark.”

The two fell into step together easily. Sometimes Tony could admit to himself that he kind of liked Phil, just a little. When the guy pulled his head out of his ass. Or, more accurately, out of _Fury’s_ ass. Once he did he was a lot easier to talk to. He could even be _funny_.

Case in point – with just a little light teasing about the way Phil sometimes looked at Pepper, Tony got a story about a pretty ‘someone’ that sounded a whole lot like a certain archer they were all looking for. Which, if Tony wasn’t reading the situation wrong, kind of gave the guy a little bit of leeway for how he’d tried to bust into the tower just to get to Tony. “You know, when all this is said and done you should let me portal you and your special someone to a nice, quiet place for a little R&R, Agent.”

“We’ve got slightly more important things to worry about right now,” Phil pointed out.

It had Tony scoffing. He was going to say something else, something just to tweak Phil’s nose, only they were just about to the bridge and the voices inside were becoming clear, drawing Tony’s attention. “I think it’s about the mechanics,” he heard a voice say. “Iridium… What do they need the iridium for?”

“It’s a stabilizing agent,” Tony called out. Then, deliberately, he turned to flash a grin at Phil. “I’m just saying, pick a weekend. I’ll portal you anywhere you wanna go. Keep love alive, Agent.” He was rewarded with a small, pleased grin, and then Phil was gesturing toward the others and Tony was moving. turning to look at everyone else. “It means the portal won’t collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD.”

Everyone reacted a little differently to Tony’s entrance. Bruce didn’t seem bothered; if anything, he perked up at having someone who clearly understood what he was talking about and could contribute to the conversation. Natasha, naturally, didn’t even blink, though it didn’t escape Tony’s notice how she turned a little when he came up behind her, and how she made sure to keep him in her sights as he walked around the table.

Steve was watching Tony with a look of confusion, and something else that Tony wasn’t sure about, while Thor was glaring.

It was Thor that Tony moved past first. He drew a hand from his pocket and slapped against the guy’s arm. “No hard feelings, Point Break. You’ve got a mean swing.” Tony swung around then, facing the table and grinning a bit. “ _Also_ , it means the portal can open as, and stay open as long, as Loki wants. The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kick-start the Cube.”

Maria Hill was standing nearby, watching them, and he caught her raised eyebrow look at his words. “When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?”

“Last night,” Tony said, raising an eyebrow at her. At her blank look, he had to fight not to roll his eyes. Seriously? “The packet? Selvig’s notes, the extraction theory papers?” When she just switched from confusion to surprise, Tony really did roll his eyes. He spread his hands out and turned to face the others again. “Am I the only one that did the reading?”

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Steve asked.

Bruce answered that, looking thoughtful while he paced between the round table and the wall. “He’d have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.”

 _Yes, thank you Lilith! Someone with brains!_ Tony happily started to move around the table, eyes on Bruce as he went. “Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.”

“Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.”

“Finally! Someone who speaks English!” Ignoring Steve’s low ‘ _is that what just happened?’_ Tony stepped forward and held a hand out to Bruce, pleased when the man didn’t seem to hesitate to reach back for him. “It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster.”

The poor guy looked away, just a bit uncomfortable, but he said “Thanks” and Tony got the feeling he meant it. Few people probably gave Bruce that kind of honesty. Or respect. Though he definitely deserved it. Bruce had a brain that Tony wanted nothing more than to sit down and pick at. Not just on a scientific level, but a magical one, too. He had a feeling Bruce would be one of the few people in the world who might be able to actually understand some of the stuff that Tony was trying to do with science and magic both.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t why they were here, and Nick’s arrival only helped to remind Tony of that. “Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join him.”

What that meant for Tony was that, after a little more posturing, he was actually being given permission to go to a lab with _Bruce Banner_. It was hard to contain the giddy smile that wanted to bubble out. Not even Nick’s warning of: “Science _only_ , Mr. Stark. We’ll be watching, and we’re keeping the room warded,” was enough to ruin Tony’s mood. He beamed at Bruce and rocked a little on his heels. “Shall we play, Doctor?”

Bruce gave a half-grin that he ducked his head a little to hide. Yet at the same time, he held a hand out and gestured down the hallway. “This way, Sir.”

* * *

The minute they walked through the doors and into the lab that they were being assigned, Tony was hit with a wave of power so strong it was nauseating. His own magic immediately pushed back in an effort to protect him from it. He also felt the wards that were likely meant to keep _his_ magic inside the room but were actually working rather well to keep the magic from the _scepter_ inside the room. Or, not just a scepter. An _Infinity Stone_. Merciless Lilith’s _tits_ that was a fucking _Infinity Stone_!

Bruce’s hand was there to catch Tony’s elbow, helping steer him inside when Tony stumbled. “Are you all right?”

It took effort for Tony to drag his focus away from the scepter. His mind was already spinning with new ideas, new theories, and each one was more unpleasant than the last. At the same time, he patted at Bruce’s hand, easily covering up the way his mind was working by babbling at the man, a skill Tony had learned a long time ago. “Yeah, yeah. Just, wow, wasn’t expecting that. Holy shit that thing packs a punch when I’m outside my suit.”

With Tony steady, the two of them were free to go ahead and start setting up. While Bruce pulled out the equipment that SHIELD had left for them, Tony went his own route, unpacking the few things that he’d packed. He was setting it all up while Bruce scanned the scepter. Though, it took a lot of effort not to yank the doctor away from it. Everything inside of Tony was screaming at him to keep Bruce away from it. To keep _everyone_ away from it. There was a ton of magic coming off it.

“The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract. But it's gonna take weeks to process,” Bruce said, a sigh clear in his voice.

“If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops.”

He looked up to find Bruce giving him an amused look. “All I packed was a tooth brush.”

The two teased back and forth a little, and Tony extended an invitation to Stark Tower. He even poked at Bruce a little – both figuratively and literally. How on earth did the guy who was supposed to be controlled by emotions not even turn a hint grin when poked with a bit of electricity? It only made Tony want to poke at him a little more. See just how far the guy had to be pushed before he exploded. At least then Tony would know how far he could go before needing to reign himself in.

Unfortunately, Captain Sparkles didn’t seem to be pleased with that plan, and he let it be known when he came marching into the room. Conversation with him proved to be just about as fun as Tony had thought it would be. He practically bred patriotism and wholesome apple-pie breeding, and _merciless Lilith_ , Tony was not in the mood to deal with that. He really wasn’t. No one paid him enough to deal with this. Or, really, no one was paying him _at all_ , which was definitely something he was going to have to get Maryse on. This was a consultation. SHIELD and Tony didn’t have a contract. As he’d told Nick once, SHIELD couldn’t afford him. Not to keep him on retainer like that, at least. But they’d be able to afford something like this.

Even as Steve stormed out in an effort to avoid the fact that they were pointing out stuff he didn’t like – seriously, who expected a group of spies to be _honest_ with them? – Tony tapped out a quick message on his watch that he knew JARVIS would get. Maybe siccing Maryse on SHIELD would give her something to do and keep her occupied for now. If he were lucky, she might be distracted enough not to kill him if he let her think he was just doing some simple consultation.

With Steve gone, and Tony working away on his own screen, it took him a few minutes to realize that Bruce was sneaking looks at him. When he finally caught the guy out, he debated for a moment. Then he made sure to catch Bruce’s eye on the next look, raising one eyebrow in silent question.

Bruce flushed, yet he didn’t look away. The guy held his own. Even sat up a little straighter. “What Fury said out there, about science only…”

 _Ahh_. One side of Tony’s mouth curved up, and he tilted his head back toward his screen. “I’m probably not supposed to tell you that.”

“I get the feeling that hasn’t exactly stopped you in the past.”

Chuckling, Tony looked up again. “True! But, c’mon, Dr. Banner, don’t tell me you don’t already have a guess.”

One look was all it took to tell him that, yeah, Bruce had guesses. He was just clearly surprised by them.

Not that Tony could blame him. There weren’t all that many famous people who were also a part of the Shadow World. Fame and hiding didn’t exactly go well together. “Not all that many people know.” Though, Tony was finding that he didn’t exactly mind the idea of Bruce knowing. “I mean, Natashalie knows, and so does SHIELD, but I doubt Cap or Thor knows. Hell, I doubt even all of SHIELD knows. The last thing Fury wants is word to spread that Tony Stark’s a warlock. There’s no telling what might happen then.”

Bruce, bless his gorgeous little heart, didn’t even bat an eye at the word _warlock_. “They’re afraid you’d, what, use your fame and status to amass power?”

“I don’t know what you know about this kind of thing, Dr. Banner, but SHIELD is made up of a lot of Shadowhunters, and they’re kind of notorious for hating my kind.” Tony tapped a few more keys just to make sure his program was running correctly, and then he pushed it off to the side where JARVIS would be able to keep track of it. That freed him up to finally turn his focus toward the one thing in the room that truly needed it.

What Tony was feeling from the scepter, combined with a lot of things he’d been seeing so far, were starting to come together in the sort of image that left Tony feeling more than a little unsettled. There was something percolating in the back of his mind. An idea that he didn’t really want to entertain yet couldn’t ignore.

Tony didn’t realize that Bruce had gone quiet again, or that he was watching. All his focus was on the scepter. He walked up to it and took a moment to stare down at it, gripping tight to his magic as he did. “So, he used this to mind control them, right?”

“That’s what it looks like,” Bruce said.

“Huh.” That idea was growing louder and louder. Tony reached up and rubbed at his chin, trying to think. He barely noticed that he was speaking while he did. “To do that, and to have them listen to _him_ , wouldn’t it make more sense to channel your own magic through the object, using the object’s properties to enhance your own power? It’d guarantee they’d be loyal to you. I mean, otherwise you’d run the risk of them being loyal to a blue rock, or to you only when you’re holding the blue rock.”

“I suppose. What’re you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that’s a damn powerful stone inside there, and it’d take someone even more powerful to run it without killing themselves in the process.” It’d take someone _strong_ to handle the power of an Infinity Stone without exploding. Reaching over, Tony twisted the screen that Bruce had been working at and quickly brought up the cameras to Loki’s cell. What he saw had his frown growing.

At first glance Loki looked utterly calm and in control. It wasn’t until you really started paying attention that the slight bruising under his eyes was visible, or the way that his feet drug ever so slightly on the tail end of each step. Judging by what Tony had felt from him before – what he’d assumed was just Loki’s own chaotic magic from a mage gone mad – and what he was feeling from the scepter now, the bad idea Tony had had since he’d first looked at all the stuff Phil had brought him was starting to grow stronger.

“Right!” Abruptly, Tony shoved back from the screen and clapped his hands together. Then, in a move that had Bruce looking at him with blatant surprise, Tony snapped his hands and called up one of his larger storage boxes from his very private collection. Working with magical objects the way that Tony liked to meant that he had to have things to contain them – especially when something went _wrong_. “I think we’ve got all the scans we’re gonna need from this. Until then, why don’t we make sure the mind-control magic stick doesn’t cause any more trouble? There are some damn good protections on this box, and I get the feeling they might come in handy.”

The instant the stick was inside the box and the box was sealed, there was a noticeable difference in the room around them. Tony and Bruce looked at one another as it felt like a pressure they hadn’t even been aware of was gone. When Tony shook his head, he felt his ears pop, and his magic gave a sigh of relief.

“Wow,” Bruce breathed out.

“Wow is right.” That change the game entirely. What had been just suspicions before were practically confirmed now. Tony straightened up, much more determined than he’d been before. “Right. Well, that changes things. Big Green, I’m gonna leave you in charge of this box, all right? Don’t let anyone touch it. Not even Pirate Stick-up-his-ass. None of them have the knowledge I have of how to contain and handle magical objects. I’ll be right back.”

Tony didn’t give Bruce time to say anything. He just took off out the door, wanting to do this as quickly as possible before someone watching them realized what it was he was going to do.


	3. Chapter 3

On the way through the Helicarrier, Tony pulled out his phone, tapping away at the screen while he moved. At the same time, he murmured a spell under his breath that he’d learned a long time ago. One that didn’t actually make him invisible, but encouraged people to look the other way. It wasn’t something that he really liked to use all that often. The spell wasn’t reliable and was easily broken. But the last thing he wanted was to be interrupted right now. The spell kept people from paying attention to him, giving him the freedom to move as well as type to JARVIS.

By the time Tony reached the area was Loki was being held, JARVIS had full control of cameras and the security system. The doors opened right when Tony reached them to allow him inside.

He took in the space ahead of him as the doors slid shut and locked. What he found was exactly what he’d seen on the security feed. The cell they had Loki in was a circular glass room that Tony _knew_ hadn’t been intended for Loki. No, it’d been intended for someone else. Someone exceptionally strong, and yet so very sweet, and Tony’s anger toward SHIELD grew even stronger at that. He pushed it down to think about later. For now, he needed to focus on the alien god who was watching him with a clear smirk on his face.

Loki didn’t look bothered by Tony’s arrival. Nor surprised. If anything, he looked kind of amused, blue eyes glittering a little in the light of his cell. “Ah, if it isn’t the mortal mage come to play.”

 _Showtime._ Tony smirked, and he slid his hands down into his pockets, the image of calm and casual. “Not mortal so much, but yeah, what can I say? I never could resist a shiny new toy. And there’s so many to play with today.”

“You think to play with me, _child_?” Loki asked. The low, cultured tones and bored amusement just screamed _royalty_.

Strolling forward as casually as he could manage, Tony shrugged one shoulder negligently, like this whole thing was no big deal. “Maybe. If you were more _you_ , sure, I’d totally be up for a little playtime.” He tipped Loki a wink there, just to make sure his meaning was as clear as possible. Then he flashed a bright grin. “I mean, have you looked at you? You’re gorgeous and you know it. And everyone knows I’ve always had a soft spot for pretty things that can kill me.”

There was only a small part of Tony’s focus that was on the conversation he was a part of. The rest of him was reaching out, feeling the air around him and matching it up with what he’d been feeling back in that room. From the scepter.

“Huh.” Tony paused near the front door of Loki’s container, arms over his chest to try and keep from reaching out to touch the type of magic he _knew_ he couldn’t handle alone. He let his eyes run over Loki from foot to head, settling on his face and the bright, bright blue of his eyes. A blue that matched the tesseract, and the scepter, and the photos they’d seen of Agent Barton. Not as bright, no, and with a hint of something underneath, but still there. A confirmation of everything Tony had been thinking of. “Wow, they got their hooks in deep, don’t they?”

“Did no one teach you to speak plainly?” Loki asked, dry and bored.

Tony snorted and shook his head. “This coming from the god of lies and chaos.” He took a step forward then, the feel of magic getting stronger. Oh yeah, this thing really had a good hold on him. Deeper than Tony would be able to fix on his own. This was more than just a residual telepathic field around the scepter. This went deeper; like the fog it created had sunk deep inside of Loki’s mind, not _controlling_ him so much as making him amenable to whatever the true master here wanted. “Oh, whoever owns that stone, they’re _good_.”

For the first time, it looked like he’d caught Loki just the slightest bit off guard. “What are you talking about?”

“They enhanced that scepter to tap into the stone’s natural energies. I could feel the suggestive field all around it.” Tony took another step closer, unconsciously beginning to pace back and forth in front of the door while his brain worked through the puzzle in front of him. “It seeped into your brain, twisting everything until you can barely tell they aren’t your thoughts anymore. But there’s some part of you that remembers, isn’t there?” Here, Tony spun, suddenly finding that he was right by the door.

He almost leapt back when he saw that Loki was directly on the other side of the glass. They were inches apart, staring at one another. This close, it was easier to see that hint of _something_ behind Loki’s eyes. A different color mixing in with the blue.

“There’s a part of you that’s still fighting in there,” Tony murmured. He could see it – could _feel_ it. He dropped any games at that moment. This was too important. “I want to help you. It won’t be easy, and I don’t make any promises, but I can guarantee you better help than anything this place has to offer.”

Tony wasn’t sure if there was enough of Loki in there to be able to answer or if the power that held him was too strong.

Green swirled through the blue. Loki leaned in closer to the glass, one hand pressing up against it right beside his face. “ _Please_.”

That was all Tony needed. He smiled and nodded, and then he took a step back.

All he’d needed was permission. What happened next – well, Nick wasn’t going to like it that was for sure, but this wasn’t about him. Pulling a piece of paper from his pocket, Tony scrawled a quick message and then set the paper alight, watching as it burned away. It was time to call in reinforcements.

* * *

It only took a minute, maybe a minute and a half, before a flaming piece of paper darted in front of Tony. He snatched it out of the air, amused to see that Loki was watching him much closer now, and clearly curious. Tony read the message on the paper and smirked. _Awesome_. Lifting his eyes, he grinned at Loki. “All right, Rudolph, you ready for this? Once we get started, we’re gonna have pretty limited time. I’ve got the cameras scrambled right now, and we’re damn lucky no one’s tried to come in here yet, but soon as I do this they’re gonna know something’s up and come running.”

“You act as if I should understand your prattle,” Loki said dryly. The blue was firmly back in his eyes now. “Do all Midgardians speak as you do – saying much without truly saying anything at all?”

Right. Mind-controlled gods weren’t exactly going to be all that helpful. Tony drew in a breath and tried to steady himself. No time for second-guessing. He’d committed from the minute Loki gave that soft-spoken _please_. “Right. Well, J, buddy, let’s get this show on the road. Prep the Manor for some new guests and get ready to scramble some SHIELD agents.” As he spoke, Tony sent off a few more fire messages, calling in reinforcements and telling them where to go.

“As you wish, Sir,” JARVIS said. His voice echoed from the nearby speakers, filling the room and clearly startling Loki in the process.

Tony blew out one last stress-filled breath. Then he lifted his hands and called on the magic inside of him to reach out for the familiar weaves of a portal.

He was conscious of Loki’s eyes on him, the way that the mage watched with more intensity than before, but he kept his focus on opening the portal. It only took seconds after the portal snapped into place before Magnus stepped out of it. A wide grin split Tony’s face at the sight of him. Just having Magnus here was enough to make Tony relax a little. “Hey, _babbo_. Thanks for coming.”

“How could I resist when you sent such an interesting message,” Magnus said easily. His eyes were already on Loki, though a quick sweep had taken in the room around them. Casually, Magnus strolled up towards Tony’s side, looking for all the world like he was perfectly at ease here. Only those that knew him would be able to see the tension around his eyes. “ _Mind-controlled mage, need help_. That’s definitely one way to get my attention.”

“I’ll explain the rest of it as soon as I can, but we’re kind of on a time crunch.” SHIELD would’ve no doubt had something set up to detect it the instant Tony opened a portal here.

Tony and Magnus turned together to look at Loki, who was watching them suspiciously now. He’d slowly backed away from the glass. Tony tried not to grimace; he wasn’t going to make the best impression in the next moment.

“Sorry about this next part, Lokes.” And he really was sorry. Before Loki could say anything, Tony called out “J, let’s get the cargo ready for transport.”

Sometimes Tony thought that Nick and everyone else forgot that Tony had been the one to design the Helicarrier. That the tech in here was Stark Tech at the core, though SHIELD techs had tried to tamper with it and change it around. It didn’t matter that they changed some code, or passwords, or anything else they did in their efforts to keep Tony and JARVIS out of here. JARVIS was fully in their systems any time that he wanted to be. Meaning, Tony knew about all the little upgrades they’d put in, and he knew every inch of the Hulk containment cell that Loki was currently inside of.

JARVIS understood Tony better than anyone. He knew exactly what Tony had meant. In the next second, without giving Loki time to react, panels slid open from both floor and ceiling, and the chamber was flooded with a gas strong enough to knock out the Hulk. Apparently, that also meant it was strong enough to take out Asgardian gods.

“Sir,” JARVIS interrupted just as Loki slid down to the ground. “SHIELD’s agents are en route. They should arrive in no more than one minute and twenty seconds.”

“How long can you stall them for?”

“Judging by what they’re carrying, it should take them no more than fifty-seven seconds to cut through the door.”

So that meant they had two minutes and seventeen seconds, give or take. That was fine. Tony could work with that. It helped that Loki was on the ground, and JARVIS was already sucking the gas back out of the chamber. Calling up his magic around his hands, Tony grinned over at the warlock beside him. “Ready, Mags?”

“The things you get me into,” Magnus murmured. He was smiling slightly, though, and had called up his own magic. “I expect a full explanation as to why we’re kidnapping a brainwashed alien mage later, Anthony.”

“Boring! J, open the doors!”

The two went in with every caution, knowing that there was no way to tell just how out of it Loki was or how long he’d stay that way. Just to play it safe, they didn’t bother picking him up by hand, simply wrapping him up in weaves of magic instead and using those to lift him off the ground. From there, it was easy for Tony to make a portal to the Stark Manor here in New York – no one would think to look for him there, it was well known he avoided the hell out of that house – and then the trio was making their way through, Loki floating between them.

Tony should’ve known that it was too easy.

They’d barely landed, the portal just closing behind them, and all of Tony’s friends were waiting there for him, when Loki either gave up pretending to be drugged or finally pushed himself past the drugs enough to move. In a flash, he was shoving at the bands of magic around him, and neither Magnus nor Tony were prepared enough for the blast of power that tore at their hold. Loki got at least his feet free. He used that to his full advantage, too, lashing out in an instant with a kick that sent Tony flying back into the wall. Then he spun, aiming for Magnus next, only Magnus had already dodged out of the way and was calling up more magic.

Catarina, Saffron, and Mickey were casting their own spells, blocking the door and reaching for the mage, and Tony snarled as he shoved off the wall and threw his own magic out there. “Don’t let him leave!”

“How dare you try and hold me?” Loki snarled at them. The blue in his eyes flashed brighter than before. Whatever held him, it was pushing for more control, trying to grip tight to the mind it held as if sensing what they were about to do, and _like hell_ if Tony was going to let it!

Multiple bands of magic wrapped around the still struggling Loki. They gripped at him and tugged him down, forcing him to kneel on the floor. Whether it was because of the power that held him, or Loki was actually that strong, he was still managing to fight against their hold strong enough that they were straining to keep him there.

Tony grit his teeth and pushed forward another few steps, adding all the power he could into the bonds around Loki’s legs. “Zia!”

The sharp snap of his voice had Catarina pushing forward as well. With Mickey, Saffron, and Magnus taking three points around them, forming a perfect binding triangle, Catarina and Tony moved to either side of Loki. “What is it?” Catarina asked, eyes already running over Loki and no doubt seeing and sensing what Tony had felt.

“Infinity stone,” Tony said quickly. “Mind control. It generated a localized field, but it got its hooks in deep, and it’s trying to hold on.”

The short summary wasn’t much. Most people would’ve needed more. But Catarina and Tony had never needed all that many words between them. He’d given Catarina the basics – all the things she needed to know to be able to help. Together, they fed as much power as they could down into the bonds, and then they looked up at those around them. Magnus met their eyes, his glamour gone, and gave a sharp nod. “Do it!”

That was all the permission they needed. Tony dropped his hold on Loki’s bonds, and he felt Catarina do the same. Then, together, they reached out for Loki’s head.

Healing magic wasn’t Tony’s strongest suit. He’d been trained, though, and he knew what to do in most cases. More than that, he knew magical objects, and this was a side effect from one of those, which meant that it would take both Tony and Catarina to do this. Especially since Tony had been the one to feel the scepter and would be able to recognize its influence.

Tony could feel it from the instant his hands touched Loki’s head. The same fog that had been around the scepter, only it was inside of Loki, slipping through him and twisting his thoughts. It was a slow, insidious thing, and it left behind a taste like burnt plastic on the back of Tony’s tongue.

A pained sound from Catarina made it clear that she felt it too. “You tackle the fog,” she murmured, pressing her hands in harder. “I’ll heal the damage left behind.”

Tony barely spared the energy to nod. He was already reaching out with his magic and chasing down every inch of that fog, trying to capture it. He didn’t notice as Loki went quiet, or as the mage began to shake under their touch. All his focus was on the fog that was running away from him. It kept slipping through his hands!

Spreading his magic wider, he went about it from the side, chasing the fog from one direction and then another, slowly spreading his own magic out until it was like a net. One that he could draw upward, _up, up, up_ , until there was no place left for the fog to run. Once there, he gave a triumphant cry, and he wrapped his magic tightly around it and then _pulled_.

The force of his pull had Tony stumbling back a few steps. Between his hands was a glowing ball of blue/black fog. Like a cloud, almost, trapped in a bubble of Tony’s magic, restrained.

Loki slumped down in his bonds, and the blue light of Catarina’s healing magic was pulsing over and through him, cleaning up the damage left behind.

A push of Tony’s magic against the power in the orb had him surprised. He’d been sure the fog would fight him, try to get back to Loki maybe, but it was as if being without a host had weakened it. Slowly but surely it dissipated under Tony’s touch until there was nothing left. Tony hesitantly opened his hands, releasing the orb, only to relax when nothing happened. It was gone.

He stumbled the instant he was no longer fighting. Warm hands were there to catch him, to steady him and keep him from falling. When Tony looked up, he found it was Saffron and Mickey who’d caught him, and they stayed on either side to help him keep upright. Magnus was with Catarina, the two of them kneeling in front of a clearly conscious and alert Loki. One whose eyes were very decidedly _green_.

Seeing that had Tony slumping a little into his friends’ holds. They’d done it. They’d taken the power of an Infinity Stone from Loki’s mind and set him free. And, judging by the way that Loki hadn’t moved yet despite being free of his bonds, it looked like the god wasn’t anywhere near as homicidal as he’d been under the stone’s influence. Sighing happily, Tony tiredly lifted a hand and fist pumped the air. “Yay, go team.”

Mickey let out a husky chuckle right by Tony’s ear. “ _Dieu_ , cher, when y’ ask for favors, y’ don’t mess around, do y’?”

“Go big or go home?”

His words seemed to draw the eyes of others towards him. Magnus, Catarina, and Loki all looked up at him, and for a second Tony had the feeling of being a very small fly pinned down by a very large predator. There was a sharpness in Loki’s eyes; the kind of calculation that Tony recognized. He’d felt it himself often enough. But at the same time, it was tempered with exhaustion, edged in the kind of horrors that Tony didn’t really want to think about, and softened by something that looked disturbingly like gratitude.

Before Tony could think about the wisdom of his words, he found himself blurting out, “Oh God, you’re not gonna thank me, are you? Cause seriously, I don’t need that in my life. Save it for the others, or for your ridiculous idiot of a brother. Better yet, save it for keeping your brother from murdering me when he finds out I stole you. Something tells me he’s not gonna like that.”

“ _Mon Dieu_. Antonino!” Mickey hissed in his ear. Saffron just sighed, somehow managing to imbue it with the auditory equivalent of an eye roll, something which Tony found just a bit impressive.

Magnus and Catarina had dual reproachful looks on their faces. It was far too reminiscent of Tony’s childhood and therefore was ignored as best as he could.

He did that mostly by focusing on Loki. The trickster had briefly widened his eyes in a flash of surprise at Tony’s words. Then he’d gotten it under control almost fast enough to hide it. It switched his look to something a bit more contemplative. Like Tony was a puzzle; one that he was going to enjoy studying. “Were you to show up with me at your side, his ire would briefly be redirected. Long enough for you, at least, to explain,” Loki said slowly. Hidden underneath those words, Tony could hear more. The slight emphasis Loki put on _you_ made it clear just how little he expected Thor to listen to him. Was that because of how crazy Loki had been before, or was it something that dated back further?

Thinking about explanations, and who was going to want them, Tony grimaced. “Speaking of explanations, I should probably get back. I doubt SHIELD’s all that happy right now, seeing as how I sort of stole you from their fancy Hulk-prison.”

“Of course you did,” Catarina said, shaking her head.

Tony finally managed to straighten himself up from his friends holds, patting at their hands before he set about making himself presentable again. His clothes were smoothed out, and a quick hand ran through his hair. “I captured him first,” he pointed out. Slanting a look at Loki, watching carefully, Tony flashed him a grin. “Though technically I didn’t actually capture you so much as you just gave yourself up to us. And then didn’t even try to run away. Seeing as how you can teleport, and I’m pretty sure a few other fancy things we haven’t seen, I imagine you had a reason for being on the Helicarrier.”

With Magnus and Catarina’s help, Loki was slowly rising to his feet, just a bit shaky in the leg. Yet his eyes were so much clearer, and it was easier to see the sharp mind inside. The little smirk he wore was more attractive than it probably should’ve been. “You see more than most mortals I’ve encountered.”

“Again, not mortal,” Tony pointed out casually. He walked forward, away from his friends and closer to Loki, who forcibly straightened up when Tony reached him. It brought the god up to a rather unfairly towering height. Tony was forced to tip his head back when he got close so that he could still meet him eye to eye. “There was a part of you that knew this was wrong. Not much, maybe, but just enough to throw your plans in a pretty spectacular way. You still feel like messing ‘em up now that your brain is yours again, or should I be preparing to actually kick your ass this time?”

Loki’s eyes sparked with mischief. He leaned, letting his gaze run down Tony and then back up to his face. “I would like to see you try, little warlock.”

Any potential for further flirting was cut off by JARVIS. Even though Tony rarely came to the old family home, he’d made sure years ago that JARVIS was wired through every inch of it. There was no reason not to have JARVIS wherever Tony might be. “Sir? It would appear that Agent Barton and Dr. Selvig have called in to Director Fury and are en route to the Helicarrier. Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers, and Prince Thor are currently on their way to Dr. Banner with the hopes of securing the scepter. They believe that Prince Loki has compromised you, and they want the item secure before you return to the Helicarrier to take it. They’re also preparing to call upon their own on-staff warlock to come and secure the Helicarrier to prevent any further portaling.”

“ _Damn_.” They were moving quicker than Tony had wanted. Either that, or he was moving slower. “Right, okay. Playtime is over, boys and girls. Looks like I’ve still got a few things to take care of back on the home front.” Spinning around, Tony grinned at them all, sharp and quick. “Thank you so much for coming today, and I owe each and every one of you. If Fury doesn’t lock me up before the day’s out, feel free to call in your debts whenever you need. Hell, even if I am locked up, just call up JARVIS. He’s more capable than I am at getting things done.”

“Thank you, Sir,” JARVIS said warmly.

Tony flashed a nearby camera a grin.

The idea of going to the Helicarrier clearly wasn’t a happy one for everyone. Loki grimaced before he managed to smooth his expression back down. Tony wasn’t the only one to see it. The others did, too, and Tony wasn’t the least bit surprised that one of them stepped in. Nor was he surprised when it was Saffron. “The last thing you need is to be going to any kind of interrogation,” she said, arms crossed over her chest and a stern look on her face as she looked Loki over. “Especially when I doubt SHIELD’s going to be all that gentle about it. What you need is to rest and to heal.”

Tony didn’t give Loki a chance to speak up. “She’s not wrong. Something tells me you already went through the wringer before you got to us. This spell only finished kicking your ass for you. You should lay low till I can talk them down.”

“He can stay with me,” Saffron offered, surprising Tony enough that he spun to look at her. She met his look with a half-smile and a shrug. “The last place they’re going to look for him is the Hoard, and it’s one of the most protected places in the city. We’ve put enough wards up to guarantee that. Plus, I’ve got a few herbs there that might help the healing process.”

“I can bring some stuff on over, too,” Mickey offered.

Perfect. With Loki out of the way, Tony would be able to do what needed to be done without worrying about his new… friend? The word seemed strange, yet Tony mentally shrugged. He’d be able to do this without worrying about his new friend. He didn’t stop to question why he was feeling so protective of Loki. The fact that the guy had been manipulated into doing this was enough to have Tony wanting to protect him.

But just because Loki had been manipulated and controlled into doing this didn’t mean that he wasn’t dangerous, and Tony hadn’t forgotten that. The fog had only warped some of his thoughts, not all of them. There was a bit of that crazy still left in the guy. Not to mention, Tony had no idea what kind of crazy or trouble had shown through in the past. He didn’t know enough about Loki to trust him, and here he was sending him off with his friends. Friends who, yes, were fully capable of taking care of themselves, but who shouldn’t have to do it with a problem that should rightfully be Tony’s.

If he was going to leave Loki with them, Tony had every intention of making sure Loki understood a few things first.

When Tony turned back to Loki, he found that the mage was already watching him, his eyes hooded.

Tony smiled.

“Let me make one thing clear here, Reindeer Games.” Leaning in, Tony let his smile morph into a dangerous one, hot and sharp at the edges, putting every ounce of threat he could into that look. He let the glamour fall from his eyes until they flashed up at Loki with a crackle of his power. “I don’t know you well enough yet to know just how much of your behavior was the stone, and what was you. I’m banking on a lot of that crazy being a byproduct of mind control. But if you hurt them, if you do anything to put my friends in danger, I swear to you I’ll make you regret the instant you stepped on Earth. You got that?”

To his credit, Loki didn’t back down from Tony’s threat, nor did he respond with anger or violence. He just stood there and took it, and then nodded solemnly. “I owe you a debt, Anthony Stark. No harm will come to yours that is within my power to prevent.”

“Good.” Abruptly, Tony drew back, and a wide grin wiped away the angry look on his face. He could see that it surprised Loki and that only made Tony’s grin bigger. “I’d hate to have to try and kill you. You’re too pretty for that.”

With that pronouncement, he spun on his heel and flashed his grin at Magnus next. “Okay, so! I’m off to talk to SHIELD. Wish me luck?”

“Oh, if you think I’m not coming with you, you’ve got another thing coming, my dear,” Magnus said, smiling and shaking his head.

Tony’s eyebrows shot up toward his hairline. “Um, what?” As far as he knew, they weren’t letting SHIELD know about his connection to Magnus. They’d talked about that a while ago and agreed on it! Wouldn’t Magnus coming with him now kind of give it all away?

As if hearing his thoughts, the grin that Magnus wore grew. “Any magical working this strong in the city would be run through me, Anthony. The most that SHIELD needs to know is that you called on me as High Warlock, and I brought others with me to help. But you want SHIELD to have any chance of believing you, you’re going to need me there.”

It wasn’t Tony’s favorite idea, but they didn’t have time to debate it. If SHIELD was bringing in a warlock to seal off portals, they needed to get back on the Helicarrier before that happened. With one deep, final sigh, Tony wrapped himself in the cloak of _Tony Stark_. By the time he stepped through the portal, his masks were firmly in place.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony had been the one to aim the portal, and to tug Magnus along with him in what was likely to be the final personal touch between them until they were once more outside the scope of prying eyes. In here, they had their parts to play, and both knew how to play them well. When they reached the other side of the portal, Tony stepped away from Magnus with all the swagger and arrogance he possessed, which was quite a bit, if he did say so himself.

He flashed a grin at the group that was standing just ahead. Bruce was by the case that Tony had left in his care, and it warmed Tony a bit to see that Bruce wasn’t just handing it over. He didn’t look happy about the confrontation happening with the others, yet he didn’t look like he was ready for a Hulk-out either, so that was good.

“Honey, I’m home!” Tony called out cheerfully, all smiles for Bruce and sharp eyes for the others.

Steve, Natasha, and Thor all spun to look at him, and Bruce looked _relieved_. But then Tony didn’t have any time to focus on anything else except for the thunder god that came straight for him. Tony had expected yelling. He’d expected maybe to be threatened with that stupid hammer again. What he hadn’t expected was for Thor to grab him by the throat with one big hand and slam him up against a wall while furiously demanding: “Where is my brother?”

Magnus reacted just a hair quicker than Tony. Orange-red magic curled around Thor’s wrist, and Tony knew it would be squeezing, forcing him to let go. At the same time that Tony dropped back to his feet, gasping and wheezing, more magic took hold of Thor and threw him back, slamming him into the wall. Tony looked up – one hand bracing on the wall, the other up on his throat – and watched as Magnus lazily strolled forward, showing no signs of effort other than the two fingers extended Thor’s way that were glowing with a matching magic. “Now, is that any way to treat a guest?”

The sight of Magnus’ magic had Steve sucking in a sharp breath, yet reaching for his shield. At his side, Natasha already had a small dagger in hand, and she was fingering the seraph blade strapped to her thigh. She seemed hesitant to approach, though, which really was smart on her part.

Lips quirking, Magnus tilted his head to study Thor. “If I let you go, are you going to behave?”

“Who do you think you are?” Thor demanded. “Unhand me at once!”

Tsking, Magnus shook his head. “I’ll take that as a no, then. It’s quite all right. You’re more than welcome to stay where you are while the rest of the adults talk. I assume the Director is on his way here, after all. I’m _quite_ eager to speak with him.”

As if that summoned him, the doors opened, and Nick Fury came in, Phil Coulson on his heels. He didn’t bother paying attention to anyone else or pretending that he didn’t have any idea what was going on in here. His one eye was right on Magnus from the instant he came in. “That would be me.” He stopped halfway into the room and took a stance, arms crossed over his chest in a defensive pose that gave away more than he probably wanted it to. “Magnus Bane – High Warlock of Brooklyn. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Casual as can be, Magnus gave his fingers a flick, releasing Thor from the bonds that were holding him to the wall. As his hand came down, he snapped and twisted it, and a cocktail glass appeared. “I thought we might have a few things to discuss.” Another snap called up a comfortable yet ornate looking chair that Magnus kept in his study for the sole purpose of summoning to things like this, just to mess with people. He sank gracefully down into it, one leg kicking up to cross the other, and his smile was bright when he looked up at Nick. “Namely the use of magic and warlocks in my city.”

“ _Your_ city?” Nick repeated. “Last I checked, you rule the roost over Brooklyn, not any of the other boroughs.”

Magnus hummed noncommittedly. He took a sip off his drink, smiling a little at the flavor, while his other hand waved negligently Nick’s way. It was kind of amusing to watch the way that the others braced. “I am the High Warlock of Brooklyn, true. But until a High Warlock can be appointed for the other boroughs, the Council has kindly allowed for the bigger things to fall to me.” Taking another drink, Magnus flashed them a look up through his lashes. “Alien mages being mind-controlled by their own magical objects, and mind-controlling others – that falls in the category of _bigger things_.”

Either unsure of what to make of that, or not quite ready with a response, Nick turned his focus to Tony, who had moved only enough to stand beside Magnus’ chair. “And you just took it on yourself to go report this to him?”

Tony held up his hands in a gesture of innocence. “Hey, ego or not, I’m smart enough to know when something’s stronger than me. That scepter?” He gestured towards the box with one of his hands, and then let both of them drop down. “That’s definitely stronger. And seeing as how you were all too busy planning out how to use all this magic for the magical weapons you’re creating downstairs…” The soft murmur of JARVIS in the discreet earpiece Tony had slipped in told him about that. “…I figured hey, why not actually try and help the guy who’s not in his right mind instead of just locking him in a cage with threats to drop him? Or, you know, keeping him here, exactly where he wanted to be, so his plans could come to fruition.”

“I’ve been aware of Anthony’s presence for a while now,” Magnus supplied, drawing the conversation back down to him. “He’s one of the most famous warlocks I know of. As soon as he hit my city, I made myself known. I like to keep an eye on my people. All of them.”

It looked like the others were more than interested in all of that. They clearly had questions. But Thor was faster, and louder, and his focus was on the only thing that mattered to him in all of this. “My brother was being controlled by his scepter?”

“Yep!” Tony hooked his hands into his pockets and rocked a little on his heels. He flashed a smile over at Thor. “The stone in there linked him to a pretty big bad somewhere else. One that _really_ wanted the tesseract. While he had a little control – enough to try and throw his own plans and let us catch him – he didn’t have enough to stop himself. Hell, he barely even realized what was wrong. It was pretty slick, let me tell you. It took five of us to hold him, clear the fog out of his head, and heal the damage left behind.”

“Where is he?” Thor demanded.

It was Magnus who answered that. “Healing. He’ll return to you when he’s ready, and not a moment before.”

“Now wait a minute.” Nick uncrossed his arms, and he actually took a step forward, his eye narrowing on Magnus. “Loki’s not one of your warlocks. He’s an alien mage. That makes him Asgard’s responsibility, not yours.”

Chuckling, Magnus settled back a little more in his chair. “Actually, until our healer declares him fit again, and no traces of anything left in his system, I think you’ll find he _is_ my responsibility. You wouldn’t want me to release him before he was fully healed, and risk it all backfiring and the fog taking over again, would you?”

Oh, he was _good_. Very, very good. Tony was more than a little impressed. He knew how to manipulate a room, but it took moments like these to remind Tony that Magnus had four hundred years of experience doing it.

Thor looked like he was battling back the urge to reach out for Magnus and shake him until he revealed where Loki was. His voice was only a bit strained when he said: “I would like to see him.”

“I’ll ask him what he wants,” Magnus said. It was all he gave. Turning back to Nick, he cocked an eyebrow. “Now, I heard there were others that were controlled by this scepter. If you’d like, I can take a look at them and make sure their minds are clear as well.”

It clearly surprised Steve and even Natasha when Nick huffed and didn’t immediately turn him down. In fact, he shot a glare Tony’s way, and then let them know: “Fine, but Stark’s footing the bill. He’s the one that brought you in, he’s the one that can pay.”

“That’s cute.” Magnus chuckled, low and easy, and then gave them another look up through his lashes. With all the kohl he had around his eyes – which Tony knew hadn’t been there before they’d stepped through the portal – it gave him both a sultry look and a slightly mischievous one. “You think I’m going to charge him for something he’s fully capable of doing? I don’t think so, Director. You can either take your chances with me, and my prices, or you can deal with Anthony and _his_ prices. Whichever one you think will give you the better deal.”

Tony chimed at that, and his grin was a shark’s grin, sharp and full of teeth. “I’m sure I could cut you a fair deal.”

This seemed to be the limit for Steve. He’d watched quietly this whole time, allowing the spies to work, yet this talk of ‘price’ clearly rubbed him the wrong way judging by the censure in his expression when he looked at Tony. “You’d charge them just to help?” He sounded a cross between disgusted and disappointed.

Tony tried hard to make sure that none of his internal flinch showed on the outside. No matter how much he told himself that words like that didn’t hurt, especially not from _this_ asshole, he couldn’t quite seem to get past that childhood need to impress his father’s hero. Seeing how far short of the mark he fell hurt in ways that Tony didn’t want to think on. Because of that, his voice was even sharper than before, with a barbed edge that cut him just as much as the other person. “To help a Shadowhunter? A SHIELD Shadowhunter? You’re damn straight, Cap. Besides, that was what Fury wanted before, to hire me as a consultant. Why shouldn’t I charge for my services just like anyone else? We could just add it on top of the bill they’ll already be getting for my services today.”

The disappointment on Steve’s face grew. Clearly, he didn’t like that answer.

Magnus sat up a little straighter, and to those that knew him, the silky purr of his voice was extremely dangerous. “Until you’ve had a Shadowhunter lay in their own blood and prefer to die their honorable death rather than let a filthy warlock heal them, I suggest you reserve your judgment on our caution, Captain Rogers.”

That worked to silence the room. There wasn’t much anyone could say to follow that. Not without risking sounding even more offensive than they normally did. Nor could Nick argue against them charging now. Thanks to Steve, they’d neatly boxed the Director into a corner, and the glare he sent Tony’s way made it clear he knew that.

Tony only smirked wider in return. They’d wanted Tony Stark as a consultant – this was what having him as consultant meant. He had a feeling Nick was just starting to realize that.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Tony and Magnus were making their way into the medical bay of the Helicarrier. After some rather extensive questioning about Loki’s state of mind, the methods used to heal him, and a few veiled threats for taking him interspaced with pleas from Thor to see his brother, they finally got this settled, and Selvig and Barton had both arrived. That meant that Magnus and Tony were free to head on down there to take a look at the two returned minions. Tony kept from calling them minions out loud; he doubted anyone would appreciate that.

Steve’s disappointed look never quite faded as Magnus haggled with Nick about what exactly it was they were about to do. He held his tongue, though, after asking, “Shouldn’t this wait until after?” and both Tony and Magnus had given him such looks of pity. Magnus had been the one to politely – with none of the condescension that Tony would’ve had – point out that “Never perform a service you haven’t arranged a price for. Otherwise, it’s your own fault if they decide to simply not pay or to pay you way less than you’re worth. There’s no way to take things back then.”

Eventually, they were finally let into the medical bay where Clint Barton and Eric Selvig. Neither one of them looked all that happy. Clint was sitting ramrod straight, eyes fixed on the wall, his head turned just enough that the edge of one rune was easy to see sticking out from his shirt collar, marking him as a Shadowhunter. Tony had already known that from the file he’d looked at on the guy recently. He’d wanted to know more about the Shadowhunters employed by SHIELD – and Natasha/Natalie, namely. Her file and Clint’s had been connected for a clear reason, which had been listed in their medical files. The two were parabatai.

Eric was twitching nervously, his hands moving like they were trying to work on something that wasn’t there. There was an edge of magic to him as well that Tony could feel the instant he’d stepped into the room.

One look at Magnus showed that he felt it, too.

To keep up appearances, Magnus verbalized the silent agreement they’d come to when they looked at one another. “I’ll handle Mr. Selvig if you take Agent Barton.”

“Right-o.” Tony gave a mock salute that he knew Magnus would tease him for later. Then he spun and moved toward Clint, who was sitting on the foot of the bed on the left side of the room. Natasha was beside him. This must’ve been where she’d gone when she’d slipped away while they were talking payment. Tony chose to ignore her and instead just focus on Clint. “So! Looks like you’re stuck with me, bird boy.”

To Tony’s surprise, some of Clint’s annoyance faded to the background, just a general impression of it on his face without any serious direction to put it. “Guess there’s worse things than being healed by Tony Stark.”

“Oh honey, there are people who’d pay for that privilege. In fact, your boss _is_. Quite handsomely, I might add.” Tony’s grin grew. He came to a stop right in front of Clint, though for a moment he kept a discreet distance between them. While Tony might not know what it was like to be mind-controlled, he _was_ intimately familiar with what it felt like to have someone do things to his body outside his control, and he imagined it was close to the same feeling. After Afghanistan, he hadn’t wanted strangers close to him, not even doctors. The least Tony could do was show Clint the same courtesy that Jim had shown to Tony.

Clint actually smiled a little; a brief thing that showed through. “What can I say?” Lifting a hand, Clint waved it over himself. “All this don’t come cheap.”

A delighted laugh bubbled up Tony’s chest. “Oh, I _like_ you. You’re almost as pretty as the last asshole I healed. Rhodey won’t believe me when I tell him I’ve been getting hit on by all the pretty boys today.”

Mentioning Loki probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do when talking to the guy he’d been mind-controlling. But Tony wanted to test him. See how Clint reacted, and if he’d even been told of the truth of things.

Judging by the brief tightening of his eyes, and then the forcible way he sighed and let go of his tension, he’d definitely been told. The clearness of his eyes as he looked at Tony and teased “You wish you were that lucky, Stark” showed that he might not be happy, but he wasn’t angry enough to start yelling. So, bonus there.

Tony hoped that their idle chat had been enough to help Clint relax enough for this to work. Lifting a hand, he wiggled his fingers, and he offered an actually friendly smile. “What do you say we get this show on the road? We’ve still got plenty of world-saving plans to discuss today, and I’m getting hungry.”

“God, me too,” Clint practically moaned the words. His eyes sharpened a little in open calculation that he didn’t even pretend to hide. “If you’re coming to the meeting, does that mean you’re providing food?”

“How on earth am I supposed to get it delivered up here?”

“Can’t you just…” Clint lifted his own hand and mimicked the little finger wiggle that Tony had done.

It startled another laugh from Tony. Not only was Clint sitting here calmly talking to him, but he was also treating Tony’s magic like it was the most normal thing in the world. Not even his parabatai beside him was managing that. She looked uncomfortable at the idea that Tony was going to be using his magic on Clint. Everything about her body language made it clear she was ready to leap to Clint’s defense in an instant. Something told Tony that she, at least, would be hesitant to eat anything he snapped up.

Clint, however… Tony never could resist a sad puppy face.

He waggled his fingers with extra emphasis just for Clint’s benefit, and then curled them in and snapped. A flash of blue sparks later there was a plate with an extra-large cheeseburger on it sitting right in his lap.

The sound Clint made at the sight of it was indecent for public. Tony approved wholeheartedly.

“There. Best I can do for now,” Tony told him, watching with pleasure as Clint scooped the burger up and took a huge bite, moaning happily as he did. Smiling, Tony shook his head. “Mind if I get started now, Legalos? I just need to take a look and make sure your head is your own again, and that the scepter didn’t leave any gifts behind.”

Mouth full, Clint gestured with one hand toward his head, and he gave a nod. Natasha’s low hissed out “Clint!” didn’t stop him, either. He just shrugged and then grinned around his bite of food.

“You’re utterly ridiculous,” Natasha snapped at him.

Tony chose to ignore them. He knew what it was like to feel broken inside, to feel scared, and to fall back on humor as a way to cope. He knew what it was like focus on the things you _could_ control after being surrounded by so much that you _couldn’t_. Right now, Clint was hungry, and eating was something he could have control over now that Tony had given him food. The rest of this, the assessment by Tony, likely a medical check by SHIELD, those were things that he imagined Clint believed he _couldn’t_ control. And if he couldn’t control it, he was going to meet it with humor and a grin, because what else could you do?

A snap and a wave of his hand called up the blue healing magic that Tony was going to need for this. With one last glance at Clint’s face just to make sure he was okay, Tony lifted his hand and _focused_. At the same time, he began to do what he did best – talk.

“You know, it’s pretty interesting to look at the readings that come off of that thing. I mean, Brucie and I barely had it with us in the room for any time at all, and it was already starting to try and push its way in. The only thing that saved me, I think, was that I was already trying to shield myself pretty hard when I came in, cause, well, let’s be real. It’s not like SHIELD and I trust each other. Luckily for all of us, I keep around a few containers meant to house magical objects. I’ve even got some that Stephen helped add his own warding to, so they’re doubly protected.”

“Stephen?” Natasha repeated, suddenly looking quite interested. She managed to give him a sharp look without ever once taking her focus off of what he was doing to Clint. “Stephen Strange? The Sorcerer Supreme?”

Tony snorted. “ _Lilith_ , talk about a pretentious title! As if that guy needed his head to get any bigger than it already is.”

That got him a snort between bites from Clint.

Hearing it, Tony flashed him a grin. “Hey! Don’t blame me for being awesome, birdie. At least I’m not walking around with fancy titles.”

Clint arched one eyebrow at him. “ _Iron Man_.”

“That’s not a fancy title!” Tony protested immediately. He moved his hand up, sending his energy a bit higher, letting it taste around the edges of Clint’s mind. “That’s more like… a codename. Figured you’d be able to understand that, _Hawkeye_. Stephen, his is a fancy-ass title that people actually go around referring to him by. And trust me, I get to mock him for that all I want. The Stranges have always run in the same circles as the Starks, and I’ve known Stephen off and on since he was an overeager little snot trying to beat me out in prep school.”

“God, that’s a terrifying thought.”

All at once, Tony drew his hand back and brought it to his other, giving a clap and a snap. “All righty, you’re good to go, Hawkass. Your brain is free and clear and all your own. Now, I’d recommend at least two more cheeseburgers, as much alcohol as you can drink, and somewhere in the range of seventeen hours of uninterrupted sleep.” Pausing, he spread out his hands and shrugged, bright grin in place. “Or, you know, a few hours of pretty enthusiastic sex, three pots of coffee, and something cool to blow up. But, you do you.” He spun on his heels before either of the two could say anything, and he looked over to Magnus, who was standing beside a now-lying-down Selvig. “How're things going over there?”

Magnus was just finishing settling the blanket around his patient. He looked up at Tony, a brief flash of cat eyes showing through. “It’ll take time, but Dr. Selvig will be all right.” Magnus looked to Coulson, next, who was standing in the door to watch over them. Nick and the others had vanished at some point; likely to go get started on the meeting that they were about to have. Bruce, at least, had hung around, sticking close to the wall yet clearly avoiding the other SHIELD medical personnel that were lingering. “You’ll need to be careful with him,” Magnus told Phil. “It wasn’t just the scepter that got into his head. It was what you call the tesseract, too. Two powerful influences together, working in his mind, did quite a bit of damage. He’s going to need time and rest, and another healing or two.”

“We’ll make sure he’s properly taken care of,” Phil promised.

That was the best they’d get, and they all knew it. For now, Tony let it go, though he made a mental note to check in on Selvig later. “Barton’s good,” he called out, bringing the focus over to him. Tony stuffed one hand in his pocket and gestured lazily toward Clint with his other one. “Hungry, probably more than ready to get out of here, but good. Whatever brain damage he’s got is his own.” At that, Tony flashed a grin back at the guy and was rewarded with one in return. Oh yeah, Clint was quickly making his way toward the top of Tony’s favorite Avenger list. Not quite up there in the ‘favorite Shadowhunter’ category, but there was a lot of steep competition in that one.

It looked like Phil had questions, and honestly, Tony wasn’t in the mood to answer them at the moment. More than anything he just wanted to get today done with and then go check on his friends. He wasn’t sure how far he trusted Loki right at the moment. Not until he got a chance to really talk to him.

He wasn’t the only one thinking that way. Magnus’ thoughts must’ve been running along the same line because he straightened himself up suddenly and smoothed out the silk of his shirt. Then he flashed a smile over at Phil. “Well! Let your Director know I’ll be expecting payment within the day. If he needs my services directly, fire messages always find me, or you can reach me through the New York Institute. Messages sent through the Head always find their way to me.” Magnus winked at that, and then turned to Tony, ignoring whatever Phil might’ve had to say. “Take care. If you need anything, you know how to contact me.”

They were playing a part here, and in front of quite an audience, so Tony made sure to play this exactly how he would have if this were the High Warlock of anywhere else – someone that he didn’t know, but that he knew to respect. With one arm crossed to the front of him, he gave a small, barely-there bow, and he wiped any signs of mockery from his voice. “Thank you, High Warlock Bane. I appreciated the help.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” Magnus said, flashing a grin. Then, with the wave of his hands, he called up a portal and wasted no time in walking through, leaving them all to stare as the portal closed behind him. Tony watched him go and wished he would come back. At least with Magnus there, the next meeting would have been a whole lot more interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

The whole group of them ended up in a conference room on the Helicarrier. Honestly, Tony thought it was a bit stupid to pack them all into a room like this and expect things to end up going well. They were a volatile bunch. So far, it seemed that they were clicking in groups, and those groups weren’t going to be easy to merge.

Natasha and Clint stuck together, of course. They were parabatai, that was what they did. Though, knowing that had Tony dying for the story behind it. From what he knew from their files, these two had met somewhere in their twenties on a mission where Clint had been ordered to kill the Black Widow, and instead brought her in. But parabatai had to be bonded before they were eighteen. He had no idea why, just that this was the rule. Or so Alec and Jace had said when they’d talked about their bonding ceremony.

Those two were their own unit, set clearly down by Nick and Phil, on the side of SHIELD. Yet Clint, at least, had a smile for Tony, and a friendly look for Bruce, who was sticking kind of close to Tony’s side at their end of the table.

On the other side, opposite the assassins, were Steve and Thor, who apparently had talked while waiting and bonded over something or other. Tony had no idea what. Righteous morals? What it’s like to be a Golden Boy? Hair gel? Who knew. Who cared, really?

The looks that they kept sending Tony’s way told him that SHIELD must’ve given the duo a quick rundown on the Shadow world, and Downworlders in particular. Steve looked infinitely more nervous around Tony. He was watching him the way he’d been watching Bruce before; like he was afraid of a Hulk-out at any moment.

Tony, in true Tony fashion, leaned back in his chair and met Steve stare for stare. “You can calm down, Cap,” he called out as cheerfully as he could. “I promise, no matter what they told you, I’m not going to use you for some ritual sacrifice or start cackling maniacally while I paint the walls with your blood. I’m not that bored, and besides, it’s a bit too messy for my tastes.” His grin turned into something colder. Less friendly. “I might be half demon, but that doesn’t make me _evil_.”

“I’ve met a few warlocks in my years while I was on the run,” Bruce interjected suddenly. His voice was calm, and he didn’t flinch when everyone looked at him, though it was clear he wanted to. He kept his voice steady, and he looked right at Steve, though his hands were fiddling nervously under the edge of the table. “They’re just like the rest of us, Captain Rogers. Some are good, and some are bad. What’s in their blood doesn’t dictate who they are, the same as the color of someone’s skin, or their religious beliefs.”

Those words looked like they struck Steve somewhere inside. Maybe in that core of him that was used to fighting against Nazi’s. Tony wasn’t quite sure. He just hoped that, in the end, the words actually sunk in.

Steve wasn’t the only one they affected, though. Thor… Thor looked torn between confused, and unsure. He looked down the table at Nick, and then to Tony, and then apparently chose to settle on Bruce. “It was my understanding that demons in this realm are the same as any other. Dark, evil, and untrustworthy.” His eyes flicked over to Tony again, and Tony tried not to let it show just how much that assumption _hurt_.

Bruce didn’t bother hiding his feelings on it. He sat up a little straighter, some of his nerves fading away, and he met Thor’s look with less hesitance than he’d had before. “Maybe they are, and maybe they aren’t. I don’t know any demons to know for sure. But warlocks are only _half_ demon. Their other half is human. That means they have just as much capacity for good or evil as any other human on this realm.”

“Though good luck convincing Shadowhunters of that,” Tony couldn’t help but add in. He deliberately avoided looking down at Natasha. “They’ve got the blood of angels in them, and in the eyes of most of them, that means they’re always going to be _better_.”

“We didn’t bring you here to discuss Shadowhunter-Downworlder relations,” Nick said, cutting off their conversation. He didn’t look too happy with the direction the conversation had been going. Then again, did he ever look happy with anything? “We’re here to discuss the potential threat to our planet. Right now, Stark, you’re the one with the most information on that.”

Tony flashed him a bright grin. “What’s new about that?”

The look Nick gave him was thoroughly unimpressed. “In lieu of Loki himself, you’re our only source of information on what happened this afternoon. Why don’t you explain before we decide to toss you down in a cell of your own?”

The threat wasn’t a serious one. It wasn’t the first time Nick had threatened to lock him up. They just tended to talk to one another this way. However, the others didn’t seem to see it that way. Bruce tensed visibly beside Tony, and Steve’s head snapped towards Nick with an incredulous look on his face.

Tony just rolled his eyes. “You’re not getting your hands on Loki till he’s good and ready. From what I know of the High Warlock, he’s not exactly the type to trust any Shadowhunter organization, and especially not one like SHIELD.”

“Loki belongs to Asgard,” Thor said, sitting forward in his chair. “He has committed crimes there which he has to atone for.”

Raising an eyebrow, Tony didn’t shy away from meeting his gaze. “Loki’s a _human being_ who doesn’t belong to _anyone_. One who basically just got mind-raped by someone bigger and stronger than him who had the power to make him think it was his idea the whole time. On top of that, this power had him going out and mind-raping other people in turn, and it might not have been his idea to do it, but he’s going to have to live with the consequences of it.”

Though Tony tried not to look over at Clint, he still caught sight of the archer’s grimace, the way he drew in on himself a little.

“Do we have any clue who this bigger bad is?” Phil asked, clearly trying to draw them back on topic.

Tony shook his head. He stared at Thor a moment longer, just daring him to say something. When he didn’t, Tony finally broke his stare and focused back on Nick and Phil. “No. We didn’t exactly sit down holding hands and chat about his trauma. I got him out of his cage and straight into containment somewhere secure, and we got the fog out of his mind.”

“And you didn’t see anything while you were in there?” Nick asked. “Nothing that can tell us what it was that was sending him here, or why?”

Just the idea of what Nick was asking him was enough to have Tony’s stomach clenching. He swallowed against the swell of bile that tried to rise in his throat. “I don’t know if you’re just that much of an asshole, or if you’ve really got no idea what you’re asking me here.” Something told him it was more the first than the second one, and that didn’t help matters. “I didn’t _see anything_ when I was clearing his head out, and even if I had, I sure as hell wouldn’t tell you. I may be part demon, but that doesn’t mean I’m after violating someone. Especially not when they’ve already been violated enough.”

The blank look that Nick was wearing didn’t help Tony’s mood any. The fact that he actually seemed to think that Tony would seek things out while helping clear out Loki’s head – weren’t they paying attention to the whole _mind rape_ part of Tony’s speech? – or that he’d share anything he’d come across… well, it said clearer than anything else so far just what they thought of Tony. To even _suggest_ he’d do something like that…

“I’m sure this has nothing to do with what you are…” Steve started to say.

The use of the word _what_ had Tony’s hackles going up instantly. He snorted, cutting off whatever else Steve might’ve said. “Yeah? Do you even realize what he’s asking there, Cap?” Anger threaded its way through every word. Tony leaned forward, arms on the table in a pose that he knew made him look more powerful. He had to fight to keep his eyes from flashing through his glamour. “I don’t know if you guys got it earlier but let me make it abundantly clear now. To use magic like that to go into someone’s head and mess with their thoughts, to _read_ their thoughts – which is what he was asking if I’d done – is the equivalent of rape. Only it’s worse in some ways. You’re not just forcing yourself on someone’s body, you’re doing it to their mind. Their _soul_.”

All at once, Tony had had enough. He wasn’t going to sit and listen to this, and he wasn’t going to put himself through it, either. Not when it would do them no good.

Slowly, with deliberate moves, Tony pushed his chair back from the table and rose to his feet. Nick rose as well in response.

“I don’t have any information for you,” Tony said, lifting his chin and squaring his shoulders. “An even if I did, I’m not sure I’d share it right now. You want to sit here and hash out all the details you _don’t_ have with your precious Avengers Initiative, you go right on ahead and do that. Seeing as how _I’m_ just a consultant, I’m heading home. You’ll hear from me if I have anything for you.”

Tony didn’t give them time to protest. He turned around and opened a portal right there in the meeting room, uncaring of the responses of the others. There was only one he looked to, and he offered that one a smile. “Feel like getting a ride out of here, Dr. Banner? You’re more than welcome to come stay with me for a while – I’ve got some toys I’m sure you’d _love_ to see. Or I can set you up with a discreet portal to just about anywhere you want to go before SHIELD has a chance to sic their stalkers on you again.”

Honestly, Tony hadn’t expected Bruce to take him up on the offer. So far the scientist had seemed a bit shy and more likely to retreat.

Maybe it was the offer of a place to rest for a while, or maybe the offer to get Bruce somewhere far, far away from SHIELD. Either way, Bruce hesitated only a moment before he rose, taking the hand that Tony extended toward him.

The others had just started shouting when Tony led Bruce through the portal, out of the Helicarrier…

…and into the living room of Tony’s floor in Stark Tower.

Tony dismissed the portal and then immediately made his way over toward the bar. “Ahh, much better. JARVIS, baby, pass on the appropriate messages to let everyone know Daddy’s home, would you?”

“Notifications are being made, sir.”

“Good boy.” Never once breaking away from the act of making a drink, Tony spoke over his shoulder to his newest companion. “You can have the floor four down from this one. J will help you get settled. I’ve got a few things to take care of, some stuff to check on, but I’ll be back later. If you’re up for company, just let J know and he’ll tell me when I’m home.” When he turned around, drink in hand, Tony could see that Bruce was going to protest, which wasn’t that surprising. To keep him from doing it Tony just kept on talking and moving. “JARVIS, walk Dr. Banner through the safety protocols so he knows he’s safe, and put the tower on lockdown for now. Only top-level people allowed inside. Then make sure to show our guest the R&D floors, and let him in to, oh, lab six. I bet there’s plenty he’d love to play around with in there. That should keep you occupied, at least until I get back. Once I do”

Temper was still boiling through Tony’s blood. He could feel it, and he knew he should get the hell out of here before he said or did something to scare Bruce away.

He didn’t even try to look back at Bruce. Instead, Tony called up another portal, stepping out of his penthouse…

…and into the quiet of the upstairs in the Dragon’s Hoard.

Just the act of arriving took some of Tony’s tension away. Though it didn’t take all of it, nor did it take away the ache that was still lodged firmly around his heart.

He wasn’t surprised to find that Loki was there, resting in the very same nook where Tony had once sat with his friends and told them that he was dying. This was the most private, secluded space in the shop. One where Saffron would be able to keep Loki, allow him to rest, and prevent anyone from just stumbling upon him. Judging by the tray of tea and treats on the table near him, he’d been up here for a bit.

Magnus was there with him, sitting calmly in a chair with a drink in hand, while Loki was tucked into the corner of the couch with a quilt over him. Somehow, Loki managed to make even that look regal, which was impressive. At some point his armor must’ve been taken; from what Tony could see, he was in a plain dark green tunic style shirt, and some sort of black pants that just peeked out of the blankets. And… it looked like his boots were off and on the ground beside the couch. His hair was pulled back into a small little bun on the back of his head. All in all, not the most regal of looks, and yet… it worked for him still.

There was a clarity to eyes that had been hazy before. While Loki might not be fully recovered, he was more himself. Tony was sure of it.

Tony’s arrival didn’t go unnoticed. The two looked up as he came in through the portal – both gazes assessing as they ran over Tony, though for different reasons. One was making sure he was okay, while the other was checking to see that he wasn’t a threat. Under their watchful gazes, Tony closed the portal and then made a beeline straight for Magnus, who caught on to what Tony was planning in just enough time to shift his weight and lift his arm, getting his glass out of the way.

With all the grace of a teenager, Tony dropped himself down into Magnus’ lap, not even bothering to go for graceful or careful. He just let himself flop down like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Magnus grunted from the weight of him. Then, with a small huff, he shifted himself and used his leg to nudge Tony up a bit, making it easier for Magnus to slip an arm around Tony’s waist and haul him in closer. It also made it to where they were both more comfortable. Tony was in Magnus’ lap, legs sprawled out with Magnus’, and his shoulder tucked neatly underneath Magnus’ arm.

The pose could’ve been one between friends, or lovers, or family, giving away nothing to Loki except that they were close. Something that Tony had a feeling the other had already figured out. Judging by the amused glint to Loki’s eyes, he wasn’t bothered by it, either, which was good. Tony wasn’t planning on moving. Tucked safely and comfortably under Magnus’ arm, Tony curled in the arm that was squished between them, and then he lifted the other so he could point a finger at Loki. “You owe me, Rudolph. You owe me _so much_ right now. I haven’t figured out how you’re gonna pay me back yet, but you will.”

Loki startled for just one second, clearly not having expected that. His eyebrows lifted a bit, and then narrowed down over those sharp green eyes. Whatever flashed there, Tony wasn’t sure what it was, there and gone again too fast for him to really see. It must’ve been some kind of realization, though, or understanding maybe, because Loki’s next words were: “Whatever Thor has done, I have no control over him or his actions.”

“You’re right, you don’t,” Tony said agreeably, dropping his hand back down to rest on Magnus’ chest, fingers absently going to fiddle with one of the necklaces there. “But seeing as how it was either question you, or question me, I’m pretty sure that still counts as you owing me. Unless you’re saying you’d rather you were the one to face interrogation by Fury, Coulson, Captain Righteousness, the deadly duo, and the blond jock.”

“No, thank you.” Loki’s reply was immediate. He sniffed, a haughty sound, and lifted his chin a little. “I far prefer your father’s interrogation than theirs, thank you.”

Tony blinked his eyes a few times as he processed those words. Then a wide grin slowly split his lips. He tilted his head so that he could look up at Magnus with a gleeful expression. “ _Babbo_ , have you been being mean to our new friend?”

One corner of Magnus’ mouth quirked up. “On the contrary, I’m sure you’ll find I was _quite_ polite, Anthony. In fact, from the sounds of it I’d say our conversation went far better than yours.”

“Yeah, well, that wouldn’t take much.” Closing his eyes, Tony let himself slump, just for one moment. Just a brief second in which he rested on the steadiest thing in his life and drew strength from it. “I hate SHIELD.”

He felt the low vibration of Magnus’ hum. “I’m quite aware of that. Any particular reason this time, or just their continued existence?”

Tony snorted, unable to help himself. “Isn’t that reason enough?”

“Oh, absolutely, darling.” One of Magnus’ hands came up to pet lightly over Tony’s hair, scratching just a bit at his scalp underneath. “However, they don’t usually bother you to the point of aggressively cuddling, especially not in front of company.”

That was true. Though, a look through his lashes at Loki showed that the god didn’t seem all that perturbed by their position. He was actually leaning forward and making himself a fresh cup of tea like the things around him were no big deal. Like it was normal. Who knew? Maybe to him it was. Then again, Thor hadn’t exactly given off that ‘comfy cuddle’ vibe, though he was extremely touchy-feely. Hand on the shoulder, on the back, handshakes, and Tony was betting he was a hugger.

Tony mentally pushed away any effort at figuring out just how touchy Asgardians actually were. It wasn’t his business. Especially since the one in front of him – while looking at ease with Tony and Magnus touching – gave off a very strong _don’t touch me_ vibe.

The soft stroke of fingers through his hair broke Tony out of his thoughts. “Anthony?”

There was worry now in Magnus’ voice. More than had been there before. Tony debated for a second longer on how to answer it. The last thing he needed was Magnus storming the Helicarrier. Then he mentally shrugged. He was sitting on him; hopefully that’d keep Magnus in place until he calmed down.

“I had to instruct Captain America on what it meant to be a warlock in a room full of Shadowhunters.” Tony made sure that his tone conveyed just how little he’d enjoyed that. “On top of that, I had to instruct a Norse god from legends on why being half demon didn’t _actually_ make me evil, only to have people accuse me of mind rape not that much later and treat it like it’d be something totally normal for me to do. I’m entitled to at least five minutes of judgment free cuddling.”

To Tony’s surprise, he saw a miniscule flinch on Loki’s face. It was hidden by the time that Loki looked up, his masks back in place.

Magnus, however, went completely still just as Tony had expected him to. There was a sharp crackle of magic that ran over the man’s skin. Yet he stayed where he was, holding on to Tony like he was the only thing keeping him in place. Probably he was. Magnus didn’t take well to Shadowhunter insults. Nor to anyone who dared insult Tony.

They were saved from whatever Magnus might’ve had to say by Loki speaking up. He continued to surprise Tony by just how _sympathetic_ he sounded as he spoke. “Your family explained to me about the Shadow World while we waited. It saddens me to discover that Earth is much like Asgard in this regard. Though on Asgard, seiðkonur at least garner some respect. Magic is, after all, _women’s work_.”

“Oh, gross.” Tony grimaced at just the _idea_ of that. He also felt a bit of respect for Loki if that was the kind of world he’d grown up in. The guy was clearly a mage. Just as clearly, he wasn’t the muscular type like his big brother. Tony could only imagine what that had been like growing up.

Thinking about Thor and the rest of Asgard only brought Tony’s mind back to the conversation they had to have, though. One that he wasn’t really looking forward to.

“As much as I’d love to compare stories of the actual assholes we all grew up around, we should probably get around to having that conversation that none of us want to have, first.” Tony watched as Loki tensed; visibly steeling himself for what he knew was coming. He saw as the mage got ready to speak, no doubt an easy lie already building on his lips, and Tony quickly held up a hand to stop him. “No, don’t say anything yet. You just listen, and I’ll tell you what I’ve figured out. How’s that sound?”

Loki hesitated, and then dipped his head, the only acknowledgement that he gave.

One corner of Tony’s mouth quirked up. “Perfect. Okay, so, I’ve been thinking about this almost nonstop since Coulson broke into my tower and brought me your files. With the belief that half the stuff they had was just straight bullshit, which is always the best way to treat any information from SHIELD, I could already tell you were a badass. Smart, too. So I didn’t understand at first why your plan didn’t make any sense. Too much of it was just, well, shit. We had way too easy a time coming after you and capturing you.”

“I did not take into account the strength of your magic, or the allies that you would call on,” Loki said. Then he huffed. “Not that I’m protesting, as you can see.”

No, he wouldn’t be, considering his shitty planning had allowed for Tony to save his ass. For the moment Tony was gracious enough not to rub that in his face. Instead, he focused on the rest of it. The more important part, in his opinion. “You wanna know what else I figured out?” When Loki just arched an eyebrow again, Tony flashed him a smirk. “You’re _hiding_.”

Oh, yeah. Even if Tony hadn’t been sure before, the tension that snapped into Loki’s frame – hidden though it was – would’ve been confirmation enough. Not even the haughty “I beg your pardon?” was enough to cover _that_ up.

“You’re hiding,” Tony repeated. He tilted his head to be better able to watch, and he slowly began to take the other man apart. “I wasn’t sure at first. But, really, you’ve been awfully polite so far, and you’ve let me get away with a whole hell of a lot. Now, that could just be that you’re nicer than what we’ve seen so far out there. I mean, you were under mind control. But… you were also under a mind control that only really twisted your thoughts to go down the paths it wanted. You were forced to do certain things, yeah, like mind controlling the others. But the rest of it? That was _your_ plan. A plan within a plan, even. So, that tells me you’re smart, and cunning, and shrewd. But you’re also desperate.”

Tony shifted, bracing on the armrests to move himself so that, as he sat up, he didn’t end up hurting Magnus’ legs. He felt his father figure take hold of his hips and help him, bracing him up until Tony was settled, better able to meet Loki look for look.

There was something hard in Loki’s eyes now that hadn’t been there before. It told Tony that he was hitting close to home with his words. But it was what Tony saw underneath it that really got to him – _fear_. That, and the sick feeling of magic in the air; magic that was reacting to its owner’s emotions.

Unable to help himself, Tony gentled his voice ever-so-slightly when he spoke again. “Having that other thing pulled out of you, it weakened you. At the moment I’m guessing that the only thing keeping this asshole from finding you is our wards. Which explains why you’ve been extra polite and diplomatic. You’re kissing ass until you’re strong enough to ward yourself again, and then I’m betting you’re gonna run fast and far.”

Some of that polite civility Tony had pointed out was starting to chip away. “You speak of things you have very little understanding of, Anthony Stark.”

“And you’re terrified,” Tony shot back. “You’re also stupid.”

It was kind of funny to watch the way that Loki jerked back like he’d been struck. His eyes went wide, and this time, his “I beg your pardon?” held a shrill edge that Tony imagined Loki would be mortified to realize was there.

“I said you’re stupid. You didn’t need to come in here and kiss our asses just for us to hide you. We were already going to do that. No one here needs you to suck up. If anything, that’s going to be more irritating than anything else. You want our help, try just being _you_. Trust me, we’re a lot more fond of assholes around here than we are of suck-ups.”

Magnus made an amused sound low in his throat. He slid one arm around Tony’s waist, and then he leaned to the side, gesturing vaguely with his other arm. “I’d like to say he’s wrong, but…”

“But you’re just as big of an asshole as the rest of us, you’re just fancier about it,” Tony shot back.

Another voice joined the mix then, a husky voice laced with amusement. “Did you just call the High Warlock a _fancy asshole_?” Saffron asked. She was walking toward them with a tray in her hands that carried food _and_ some books. There also seemed to be a new pot of tea, though Tony was guessing potion going off of how it smelled.

He beamed up at her. “You’ve met him, right? Tell me that doesn’t fit? _Ow_!” The pinch against his hip had Tony spinning to glare at Magnus, who smirked like the _fancy asshole that he was_. Tony lifted a finger to point at him. “See? You’re only proving my point here, _babbo_.”

The sound of Saffron’s chuckles had Tony turning back around, his glare already wiping away for a grin. She’d just set the tray down on the table, and it was easy for Tony to lean forward and catch her hand, drawing it in so that he could press a kiss against the back of it. “Saffy here is the least asshole-ish person I know. She’s the nicest one in our bunch. Well, her and Simon.”

She rolled her eyes at him and jerked her hand back. Still, it didn’t escape his notice how her eyes warmed a little. “You’re ridiculous.”

“It’s been said.” Tony shrugged agreeably. Worse things had been said about him.

Turning to look at Loki again, Tony found the other man watching them with a shuttered expression that kept most of his emotions hidden and yet still somehow managed to look more real than anything they’d seen from him so far. Gone was the extremely polite veneer that had laid over everything Loki did so far. This wasn’t just a prince well-schooled in diplomacy watching them. This was someone _broken_. Someone who had been beaten down and broken by life and learned to wear a mask because of it.

Tony had seen enough masks to be able to tell the difference. He’d seen people who were raised in a life of politics. People who ran in the same circles as the Starks; who’d learned from childhood onward how to hide who they truly were behind the mask the public wanted to see. Those masks could hide some pretty dark and dirty things. They were usually smooth, perfectly rounded, locking away anything _real_.

Masks like the one that Loki currently wore – those were different, to those that knew how to look.

These kinds of masks were _learned_. They weren’t a choice – either taken or forced upon them – but a _necessity_. They came from being broken and shattered. These were the masks that one pulled on to hide the broken pieces underneath. They were still perfectly polished, a true protection, only they weren’t soft and smooth like political masks were. They were more…angular, hiding the jagged edges that sat underneath without masking the sharpness completely.

Loki’s masks hid what he felt, and yet at the same time they gave away so much about him to those that knew how to look.

“Very clever, Stark,” Loki said. His voice had changed, too. It’d lost the genteel edge, the one that had felt fake to Tony, and had taken on something colder and sharper. Like ice over water, with sudden dangerous edges that could cut you to the quick. This, _this_ felt real. “It seems you’ve figured out all my plans.”

That had Tony actually laughing out loud. “Oh, Lilith, no. I doubt I’ve figured out even a _third_ of your plans.”

Loki’s smirk was small, yet startlingly sincere. “You’ve figured out more than most.”

“Duh.” Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m _me_.”

“And what is it that _you_ want from me?” Lok asked. He shifted under his blanket, one leg crossing over the other, and his expression grew interested as he tilted his head. “You’ve neatly dissected my actions thus far and uncovered my plans to hide. What is it you seek out of this?”

“Honestly?” A half grin curved Tony’s lips. He spread his hands out and a gave a small shrug. “Mostly I just wanted to know I was right.” The surprised blinks that he got, and the brief lifting of those eyebrows again, had Tony chuckling. “What? You’re a puzzle, Lokes, and I’ve never been able to resist those.”

“It’s true,” Magnus chimed in.

Tony chose to ignore him. He kept his focus on Loki instead. “I’m not here to boot you out, or to use this as leverage, or to take advantage of your weakened state or whatever it is you think I’m gonna do. I mean, do I have questions? Yeah, you bet your gorgeous ass I do. I’ve got _so many_ questions about who the hell sent you here, what they want with an Infinity Stone, why they already have one in their possession, and if they’re going to come to my planet without you leading them. Also, how long it might take them to get here. I’ve got _so many_ questions. But – am I going to barter them for your safety? _Hell no_. Whatever you did before all this, whatever your crimes against Asgard are, those are between you and them. Right here? Right now? Until you’re fully rested and recovered enough to protect yourself from whatever this big bad is, there’s a room in my tower with your name on it, set up behind some of the best wards you’ll find.”

When Loki’s eyes slid away from Tony’s face, over to Magnus, the older warlock calmly told him “It’s true. Even if I’m not all that fond of putting Anthony at risk, there is nowhere better protected on Earth than his home. Between multiple warlocks, human security, and angelic protections, his home is secure. You’ll be safe there.”

Loki’s look turned a bit more contemplative. He wasn’t running, which was a bonus. If anything, he actually seemed to be considering this. After a moment, he lifted his eyes back to Tony’s face, and there was a firm resolve there. “Despite what you may have heard of me, I have more honor than to take advantage of such hospitality and protection without offering something in return.” Though Loki looked like he’d much rather dip himself in hot oil, he spoke steadily enough as he said: “I will answer the questions you listed and tell you what you need to know.”

“I’m sure it has nothing to do with saving your own skin,” Tony said dryly.

A hissed “Anthony!” from behind him was meant to be a reminder to behave, Tony knew. But he ignored it; something he didn’t often do.

Loki dipped his head in acknowledgment. When his eyes met Tony’s again, they were just a bit brighter, and was it Tony’s imagination, or were they less threatening, too? Tony had a feeling he could study Loki’s face for a lifetime and still not be able to read all the subtle nuances that passed through there. Though he was surprised by just how much he found himself wanting to _try_.

“Doesn’t everything we do go to that goal?” Loki asked. “You can’t tell me your questions aren’t motivated by the same desire.”

“Me, and the people I care about. I’d do just about anything to protect them.” Pausing, Tony let his grin grow, and he leaned forward a little more. “Even ally myself with a potentially insane runaway god who just tried to take over the planet.”

Loki’s own grin grew in response to Tony’s. He leaned forward as well, lazily crossing his arms over his knee and resting his weight on them. “Your allies don’t appear pleased with your plans.”

“They usually aren’t. You get used to it.”

Not that Tony was paying any real attention to them. Despite the fact that he was still partially seated on Magnus. All his focus was on the trickster in front of him, and the back-and-forth going on right now. There was so much more happening underneath their words than everyone would catch on to. Magnus had; Tony knew that. He knew his father-figure likely caught all the layers to what they were saying, and he was keeping quiet about it, allowing Tony to steer this. Tony wasn’t quite sure how much of it Saffron was catching on to. She was usually a more straightforward person, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t catch the subtle things others missed.

Right now, however, Tony couldn’t spare his focus for them. He stayed looking at Loki, watching as the mage slowly began to smile. “Perhaps we should retire someone more comfortable where we can properly finish this conversation. I get the feeling it might take us a while to iron out… certain details.”

Oh, now, this was just getting better and better. Tony beamed brightly. “Now that sounds like a good time. What do you say we go back to my tower? I’ve got a scientist with a rage control problem there, but otherwise it’s pretty empty. We’ll be behind my wards and no one will interrupt us until we’ve finished laying out the ground rules for our new friendship.”

“Lead the way, Stark.”

Tony was surprised to find just how eager he was when he pushed his way up off Magnus’ lap. Then again, he really shouldn’t be. Negotiating for the best deal had always been a thrill for him. It was fun, going back and forth with people, each one trying to get the better deal. Tony liked to win. And if he played his cards right, he could really win with this one, walking away with a powerful ally who knew their potential enemy far better than anyone else on the planet right now. Hell, judging by the spark in Loki’s gaze as it ran over Tony while he rose, he might walk away with a few extra perks to this whole ally deal, too.

He knew they weren’t going to be able to just leave, though. Magnus might be willing to let Tony go; he’d just pin Tony down later and quiz him. But Saffron was looking at Tony with worry in her eyes.

Magnus, bless him, distracted Loki for a moment, allowing Tony to step over to Saffron. The two stood just a little off to the side in an effort to pretend they had privacy. Saffron didn’t waste any time.

“Are you sure about this?” Saffron murmured. She snuck a look over at Loki, and then her eyes were back on Tony. “You know nothing about him yet. Just SHIELD stories, and whatever you’ve picked up off him. You don’t even know if the threat that sent him here is real or not, or if it’s something that’s still going to come for us now that he’s lost. And you’re going to go write up an alliance contract with him?”

The fact that she’d realized what they were going to do – and not that they were going to fuck, which Tony knew it’d sounded like there at the end – made him smile. Almost as much as the warmth of her concern did. “I know enough,” he told her easily. “I know that he’s the best source of information we’re going to get about whatever this is. I know that, if something’s coming, there are way worse things to have on my side than a magic wielding trickster that’s already proved he’s pretty damn hard to kill. And I know that he’s strong – strong enough that he resisted the power of an _Infinity Stone_ , even if it wasn’t being used at full power against him.”

“You also know he’s a well renowned liar who, if stories are to be believed, has a history of screwing over the people around him to make sure he comes out on top,” Saffron shot back.

Tony tipped his head in acknowledgment of her point. “I also know that stories like that have a way of not always telling the truth. I mean, if we believed everything in stories, I’d be nothing more than a lazy slut who is riding the coattails of my father’s inventions, and who can barely tie my own shoes let alone run a company.”

Everything about her went soft at that. Though the worry didn’t vanish from her face, some of the tension did. She reached a gentle hand up and lightly brushed a bit of invisible lint from his shoulder. “I don’t want to see you hurt, Tony. Too many people have screwed you over already. I don’t want to see it happen again.”

“I don’t plan on letting it happen again.” No, he’d learned his lessons there. Tony wasn’t after setting himself up for another betrayal. He wasn’t just recruiting an ally blindly here. He’d paid attention to his lessons with Magnus – he knew how to make a magically binding contract for both parties. “I know how to negotiate a contract, Saff. It’s one thing I’m actually good at.”

“I’d trust that a whole lot more if I believed for a second you valued yourself as much as you should.”

Tony flashed her a bright grin. “Sweetheart, if there’s one thing I know, it’s my own worth.” Leaning in, he rose up on his tip-toes to press a quick kiss against her cheek. “Don’t worry about me! I’ll come see you later, let you know how everything goes. Thanks for taking care of him!”

He turned and moved away too quickly to hear anything else she might’ve had to say. If he hadn’t, he might’ve seen her shake her head, or heard her softly murmur: “Not when it comes to other people, you don’t. And that’s what scares me.”

* * *

A portal took them from Saffron’s store to Tony’s penthouse. He sighed at the feeling of his own wards around him. Relaxing, Tony grinned and walked to the bar, one of his favorite places to do business. Plus, there was a screen under the bar where he and JARVIS could talk discreetly without Loki being able to see it, and Tony wanted updated on what was going on around here as well as what had happened while he was gone.

“Well,” Tony said brightly once he was behind the bar, clapping his hands and then rubbing them together. “Come to my office, Lokes. We’ve got a contract to negotiate.”

Loki didn’t even bat an eye at Tony’s _office._ He smiled a little and walked right up to the bar, accepting the glass of wine that Tony poured for him.

With a bottle of wine between them, and a tray of some of Mickey’s best finger treats, two well-known liars sat together and began hammering out the details of an alliance that, in the end, Tony had a feeling would be better and stronger than what he could get elsewhere.

They hammered out every single point until they reached a wording that was mutually beneficial, with plenty of clauses and sneaky little tricks to help guarantee as much protection from betrayal as possible. There were plenty of things listed throughout that would render the contract null and void if either side tried them. If Tony failed to provide adequate shelter against SHIELD – who Loki was smart enough to recognize might come after him – if Loki failed to deliver information that fit within the parameters of Tony’s request about Thanos – whose name Loki gave reluctantly, and only after quite a bit of maneuvering. If any of those things happened, there were consequences.

There were also some things that Loki added in that told Tony that he wasn’t the only one who’d dealt with betrayal in the past. Things like – no promising Loki’s services to anyone else without first consulting Loki. His contract was to Tony and Tony alone. Also, it was explicitly stated that neither had control over the other’s magic usage, nor were they required to share any of their magic, be it in action or explanation.

That point worked heavily in both their favors.

In the end, what they came up with was long, very wordy, and satisfied the both of them.

What it boiled down to in its most simplistic form was that Loki was going to provide Tony with information about Thanos, his armies, and any potential threat from him towards earth. He would share that information with Tony alone – or at least, was bound to only share it with Tony. He would also be his ally in the war that he swore was coming, with the understanding that he would get the chance to fight Thanos and take back his own. He wanted that in writing, that he would be the one to kill Thanos, but they both knew something like that couldn’t be guaranteed.

In return, Tony would offer Loki shelter on earth, and whatever protection he could against Thanos, SHIELD, and Asgard. Loki had been hesitant on that, throwing it out almost like a dare he expected Tony to back down from. But Tony had surprised him by agreeing almost instantly. So long as Loki was in Tony’s tower, he had airtight protection in the form of security systems, JARVIS, and some damn good wards. Beyond that, he admitted he could make no promises against Asgard, and he’d do his best about SHIELD, but they were both practical to realize that might come down to more of a _rescue_ than a _prevention_ if they got to Loki.

There were quite a few points in those that were debated, picked apart, and carefully worded, but they found something in it that suited them both.

When they put their signatures to paper – in blood, of course – Tony couldn’t help but smile when he felt the magic settle over them. He was now allies with what he firmly believed was someone strong enough to tip the scales heavily in their favor if any trouble came their way. They were, as Loki put it, _Shieldbrothers._

“Brothers, huh?” Tony arched an eyebrow, and then pulled out his very best leer. “I hope that’s not _literal_.”

Amusement danced in Loki’s eyes. Right alongside it was a lust that easily matched Tony’s own. “Would that stop you?”

“Fuck, no.”

Loki’s smile grew bigger, and oh yeah, Tony had definitely chosen well. This whole thing was either going to end up being amazing, or a disaster, or both. Either way, he was looking forward to every step of it.


End file.
